


Shelter

by HollySophia



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Attempted Murder, Crime Fighting, Dark Past, Denial of Feelings, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Language, Kidnapping, Minor Character Death, Multi, Murder, Past Child Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Psychological Torture, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-01
Updated: 2016-06-08
Packaged: 2018-04-18 10:56:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4703498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HollySophia/pseuds/HollySophia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Beast Boy rescues a man with a link to an old friend, the world he thought he knew suddenly changes. His past is colliding with his present, all under threat from a ruthless corporation that will stop at nothing to destroy the Titans and their allies. How can one boy hope to change the course of the future when he couldn't even save the girl he loved?</p><p>Also posted on FanFiction.net</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Something Wicked

“I find shelter in this way.  
Undercover, hide away.  
Can you hear when I say  
I have never felt this way?”  
\--Shelter, Birdy

 

{Beast Boy}  
“Aww man! I can’t ever get past this level!” Beast Boy complained, watching as his animated character exploded, yet again, into a giant ball of fire. He had been feeding quarters into the machine for almost an hour now, trying to beat the boss of level 12. All he wanted was to finally finish this game and move onto something else—the video arcade had only gotten it a week ago, but he was already sick of it. Yet something compelled him to keep trying instead of giving up, which he was already regretting.  


“You’ve made it farther than anyone else has.” The guy running the front desk said, flipping through a comic about some obscure superhero.  


“I know, Stan.” Beast Boy pouted, leaning against the troublesome machine. “But I want to be the first one to beat it, you know?”  


“You’ve gotta try some different tricks then. Obviously what you’re doing now isn’t working.” Stan looked up from his comic to give Beast Boy a wry smile. “You’d think that a Teen Titan would have realized that by now.”  


Beast Boy rolled his eyes, saying, “Ha-ha, aren’t you the funny guy all of a sudden.”  


Stan grinned. “Gotta keep myself entertained somehow.”  


“You know, you’re pretty lucky that we aren’t in a horror movie right now.”  


“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”  


Beast Boy flashed a grin at him. “The funny guy always goes first.”  


“I’m shaking in my boots over here.” Stan pasted a pretend look of fear on his face, before he started laughing. “Go play your game, man.”  


Beast Boy laughed too. “Oh I will.”  


He turned back to the machine, reaching out with one hand to insert another quarter. All of a sudden, the wall behind the game exploded. Instinctively, Beast Boy jumped to the side to protect himself from the force of the blast. The game was blown to pieces and a gaping hole in the wall remained, which is how the man ran into the building. As soon as Beast Boy saw him, he experienced a feeling which he never thought would be possible again. The man didn’t look much older than him, but it wasn’t this fact that registered with his brain. It was the tall, slender body, the long, blonde hair, and the glowing hands as he raised the earth around him into projectiles, aimed for the hole in the wall. 

'How could he look so much like her? So much like Terra?' 

“What the hell?” Beast Boy cried, his voice directed at the man. He couldn’t believe the resemblance—it was impossible.  


The man didn’t even turn around to look at him. He just shouted, “Don’t just stand there! It’s coming back!”  


Beast Boy didn’t know what ‘it’ was, but he knew it wasn’t gonna be good. He quickly morphed into a tiger, going to stand by the man who looked too much like his memories. All at once, a large, menacing robot flew towards them at record speed, eyes glowing. The man hurled the rocks in its direction, but the robot slipped out of the way before any damage could be done.  


“Get behind me!” The man yelled, forcing the earth into a shield in front of him. Beast Boy jumped out of harm’s way just as the robot began shooting at them. The impact was powerful but the man’s hold on his shield didn’t waver. While the man had the robot distracted, Beast Boy ducked to the right and whirled around, charging it as fast as he could. At the last second, he morphed into a gorilla and smashed it to the ground. Without wasting a moment, the man brought the roof down around it with one hand; collapsing the ground underneath with the other. Beast Boy jumped back but the man had perfect control of the collapsing floor. He didn’t even change his expression as he sealed up the ground with just a wave of his hand. It was suddenly quiet in the video arcade.  


“Would you mind telling me what just happened?” Beast Boy asked, looking around the building in shock. A quick look over at the front counter told him that Stan was hiding behind it.  


The man said grimly, “You just saved my life.”  


“Why was that thing after you?” Beast Boy asked, gesturing to the ground where the man had sealed it over the robot.  


“That’s not important.” The man replied, eying the green changeling with a guarded look. “We destroyed it. That’s the end of this.”  


Beast Boy was incredulous. “Not even close, dude. I defend this city—it’s my job. The least you can do is tell me what’s happening. I did save your life, after all.”  


The man sighed, visibly irritated with the younger boy. “It’s better for you if you don’t know.”  


“Why?” Beast Boy asked, getting more curious by the second.  


“It just is.”  


Without another word, the man walked away from him towards the front door to the arcade. Beast Boy hurried after him, burning with a need to know. Before he left, he remembered that Stan was hiding behind the counter. He yelled over his shoulder as he walked out, “Sorry about the wall, Stan! And the ceiling!”  
The visibly shaken guy barely raised his head above the counter, eyes staring wide at the Titan. Another piece of the ceiling fell as Stan reached for the phone behind the counter. “Hey boss? You aren’t gonna believe what just happened…”

 

{Beast Boy, cont.}  
“Why are you still following me?” The tall, blonde man asked, not even glancing over in Beast Boy’s direction as he walked down the sidewalk.  


“Because I need to know what’s going on.”  


The man stopped and turned to look at him. “How old are you?”  


His question was so out of place that it caught Beast Boy off guard. He answered it automatically without thinking. “Sixteen.”  


“How did you get caught up in all this shit anyways?”  


Beast Boy shrugged, “I’ve been in it since I was really young. You don’t get much of a choice when you have powers.”  


The man’s blue eyes softened a little. It seemed like he was thinking about something else, something far away from where they stood on the mostly empty sidewalk. “No, you don’t.”  


Inching closer, Beast Boy tried not to think about someone else with eyes like his and then said, “Please, just let me help you. Tell me why you’re here.”  


At that moment, the man looked the age he truly was. He was young and vulnerable and very afraid. With a pained look on his face, he said, “I’m looking for the people who murdered my sister.”

 

{Raven}  
Raven couldn’t meditate today. She tried several times to achieve the inner peace she so desperately needed, but something was wrong. Something horrible was happening. As she intently concentrated on the disturbance she sensed, Raven was lost to the world around her.  
It didn’t take her long to realize that she was in someone else’s mind. This person was frantic with fear and desperate for a way out. She probed further, searching for more information. Their mind kept repeating the same two words over and over again. ‘No. Please.’ Raven couldn’t understand what was going on. She reached out, mentally trying to establish a link with them. ‘Let me help you. Show me what you see.’  


Suddenly, she opened her eyes and she was in someone else’s body. She was restrained by something, but she couldn’t figure out what. Her whole body was numb and Raven realized that this person had been injected with some sort of muscle paralyzing drug. They couldn’t move or escape from what terrified them.  
Someone was coming towards her. She felt sick to her stomach as she saw the electrical prod in their hands, sparking with electricity. The surgical mask covered their face but Raven still made out their eyes. She would never be able to forget how cold and unfeeling they were.  


“Subject 257-494 will be subject to a series of electrical shocks to stimulate brain activity. This will allow us to get a closer look at how her mind processes pain and subsequently responds with her powers.”  


‘That is not my name!’ Raven heard the person’s voice in their head like it was her own. ‘My name is Jinx! Jinx, you bastard!’  


Raven was in shock. ‘Jinx?’  


‘Raven! Help me!’  


The electrical prod was shoved into Jinx’s side and the sudden jolt of pain broke Raven’s mental link with the girl. She opened her eyes, staring into the darkness of her bedroom. All she could hear was Jinx screaming in pain, begging for it to stop.


	2. Coincidences

“This isn't coincidence  
There's no such thing”  
\--Smile Lines, Incubus

{Raven}  
She was still sitting on her bedroom floor, struggling to gain some control over her wild emotions. Until then it was impossible for her to even begin to process what she had experienced.

“Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos.” She chanted forcefully, willing herself to take back control. Nearby, the lamp on her bedside table exploded. She winced at the sound. It was clear that achieving her composure again wouldn’t be an easy task. Especially considering what she had seen earlier. Since she wasn’t going to return to that state of peace any time soon, Raven knew that she had to share this information as quickly as possible. 

Without speaking or moving, she called her powers to attention and melted suddenly into her floor. She centered her mind on the main room of the Tower, where it was likely that she would run into another one of the Titans. All at once, she emerged out of the dark portal of her powers and into their living area. It was surprisingly quiet, which meant that Cyborg and Beast Boy were out somewhere. She knew that Starfire had left this morning to try out one of the local beauty parlors. Apparently it was an Earth tradition that could not be missed. Raven had narrowly managed to avoid going and for that she was grateful. 

“Raven?” 

She turned around at the sound of Robin’s voice. He was standing in the kitchen area with a cup in his hand, looking at her with a curious expression. She supposed this was understandable considering the fact that she had come up out from the floor and stood there without saying a word. Even if that was her usual way of entering rooms. “We need to talk.” 

“What happened?” He asked, setting his cup down on the counter. 

“I was meditating and I felt something…” She struggled to find the right word to explain what she had sensed. “Something bad. I reached out to make contact with it and I ended up mentally connecting with someone.” She took a deep breath, steadying herself. “It was Jinx, Robin. Someone was torturing her.” 

Robin’s masked eyes widened at this. “Did you see who it was?” 

Raven shook her head. “No, not really. Their face was covered.” 

“Was Jinx able to tell you anything while you two were connected?” 

“No. She was too scared to say much.” 

Robin’s face was grave. “We need to get in contact with Kid Flash as soon as possible. He might know something about what’s going on.” 

“Should we call the others?” Raven asked, following Robin over to the control panel. 

He spoke as he began to enter commands into the system. “Yes. We need everyone on this. Jinx is one of us—we have to do everything we can to find her.” 

Raven nodded. “I’ll make the call.” 

Robin didn’t respond to her now. He was deep in thought, pulling up any information they had on Jinx onto to the main screen in front of him. Raven stepped over to the side of the room and reached for her communicator. As she pressed the talk button, she said, “Cyborg, Starfire, Beast Boy, we need you back at the Tower. It’s urgent.” 

“Is everything alright, Rae?” Cyborg’s booming voice came in over the speaker. 

“We have a situation that requires all five of us. Get here as soon as you can.” 

He replied, “Will do!” 

Starfire’s cheery voice popped in right after. “I shall fly with great speed!” 

Raven almost rolled her eyes at her friend’s comment, but resisted the urge. There was still no response from Beast Boy. “Beast Boy, did you hear me?” 

Still nothing. It wasn’t like Raven to worry, but the situation at hand was making her feel on edge. She said again, “Beast Boy, please respond.” 

After what seemed like the longest minute of her life, Beast Boy’s voice came through. “I’m on my way.” 

Raven let out a deep breath that she didn’t realize she’d been holding onto. She began to mentally repeat her chant, trying to calm herself down. What she saw had clearly gotten to her even if she didn’t want to admit it. Her imagination kept replacing Jinx with her friends, tormenting her with images of them helpless and at the mercy of psychopaths. All at once, Robin’s cup exploded on the counter. He flinched, turning to look at the shattered pieces of his former cup, and then to her. She didn’t move. She just stood there and said, “Sorry.” 

{Beast Boy} 

He stared at the blonde man with wide eyes, unable to comprehend what he had just said. “Someone murdered your sister?” 

The man nodded. “Yes, six months ago. She was only fifteen years old.” 

Beast Boy was scared to even ask this question. But he did it anyways. “What was her name?” 

At first, the man didn’t say anything. Beast Boy was afraid that he wasn’t going to answer him—that maybe his question had somehow offended him. “Meri.” He said finally. 

The green changeling was relieved and felt guilty that this was his reaction. He had thought, if only for a moment, that his sister was someone else. But he didn’t know anyone named Meri. He didn’t think he ever had. Before Beast Boy could ask another question, the man said, “Let me save you the breath. My name is Adam.” 

It wasn’t the answer he wanted at the moment, but Beast Boy was okay with any information about this strange man. “Okay, Adam. So what exactly happened to your sister?” 

Adam shook his head. “No.” 

“No? What do you mean no?” 

“I mean that I’m not getting you involved with this. This is my fight.” 

Beast Boy was starting to get a little pissed off with this guy. He reminded him too much of Robin back when all he did was obsess about Slade. “You shouldn’t have to fight alone. If someone’s after you, you need people who have your back.” 

“Forget it. I work alone.” 

The beast inside of him was rousing, telling him that beating the shit out of this guy would solve all his problems. Beast Boy was beginning to wonder if maybe he had a point. “Do you hear yourself? You just had a giant robot trying to blow you to pieces back there!” 

Adam’s face was completely blank when he said, “I appreciate the help. But this…” He gestured to the air between the two of them. “This isn’t going anywhere. It was a fluke that we even met in the first place.” 

“I don’t believe in coincidences.” Beast Boy said, attempting to keep his irritation from growing. All of a sudden, his communicator was going off and he heard Raven’s voice saying, “Cyborg, Starfire, Beast Boy, we need you back at the Tower. It’s urgent.” 

“Are you going to answer that?” Adam asked, eyeing him curiously. 

Beast Boy shook his head. “Quit trying to distract me.” 

“You have somewhere to be and so do I.” 

“That’s not the point right now.” 

Adam arched an eyebrow at him. “It is actually.” 

“Beast Boy, did you hear me?” 

“Answer your friend, Beast Boy. It’s rude to keep her waiting.” 

Beast Boy narrowed his eyes at him. “You’re one to talk about being rude.” 

“Beast Boy, please respond.” 

Adam shook his head, reaching out with a glowing hand to pull a large chunk of the ground into the air. “I have things to do. If you’re serious about what you said—about not believing in coincidences—then I guess we’ll end up running into each other again.” He gave Beast Boy a wry smile. “But if we don’t, then thanks for the save.” 

Without another word, Adam took off running and jumped onto the floating piece of earth. He was flying off into the sky in a matter of moments, his long, blonde hair streaming behind him. Beast Boy stared after him as he reached down for his communicator. He said, “I’m on my way.” And then he clipped it back onto his belt. 

From this distance, just a blonde figure standing on a flying piece of the ground, Adam almost looked like someone else. If it weren’t for the broad shoulders and shorter hair, Beast Boy would have been fooled. But Terra had been irreversibly trapped in the earth below Jump City a long time ago. He had to keep telling himself that. Whoever this guy was, he wasn’t Terra. No matter how much Beast Boy wished he could be.


	3. If Love Could Bring You Back

Ever after never came.  
And I'm still waiting for a love I'll never have,  
And all the dreams I lay to rest  
Are ghosts that keep me,  
After all that I've become,  
I am only one.  
\--I Am Only One, We Are The Fallen

{Robin}  
Kid Flash looked like hell when he finally showed up at the Tower later that day. He responded to the questions everyone asked him, but Robin saw that his mind was far from this place. Considering what Robin had told him, it was understandable. “I just saw her yesterday. She was fine then. She didn’t act weird or do anything she doesn’t usually do.” Kid Flash said, running his fingers through his bright, red hair in a distracted manner. He glanced over in Raven’s direction, looking hesitant and curious at the same time. “Can you tell me exactly what you saw?”

Robin watched Raven with a cautious gaze, which was lost to everyone else because of the mask he wore. He knew that the experience with Jinx had shaken her. Considering how strong her control normally was, he knew that something was very wrong. Raven’s face betrayed no hint of her emotions, but Robin noticed that silverware was levitating in the kitchen area. “She couldn’t move. Wherever she was, someone had injected her with a muscle paralyzer. She wasn’t able to see much from where she was either.” 

“So what could you see?” 

She hesitated. Robin saw the way Kid Flash was trembling at her words and understood her hesitation. Finally she said, “I saw their eyes. And the cattle prod they were using to shock her.” 

Kid Flash suddenly lashed out, knocking a stack of magazines off the nearby table. At the same time, the silverware dropped to the kitchen floor with a crash. He got up, shouting, “Damn it!” He threw the table to one side. “Damn everything!” 

Robin was quick to react, noticing the looks of shock on his teammate’s faces. He went to the boy’s side, saying calmly, “Keep it together.” 

“How the hell am I supposed to do that? Somebody kidnapped my girlfriend, Robin! And now they’re torturing her!” He took a deep breath. “I’m supposed to be the one who protects her—the one who’s there for her. Someone took her and I had no idea. I wasn’t there to keep her safe.” He sat back down on the couch, staring intently at his feet. 

Robin understood his feelings of helplessness. He reflected back on his failure to protect his friends and fellow Titans from the Brotherhood of Evil. They had tricked him into giving them the key to defeating his team and the other heroes that had joined them. He still couldn’t forgive himself for that. He could only imagine how Kid Flash was feeling right now; powerless to help the person he cared for most in this world. Then he had a thought. “Does Jinx have any enemies that are still around? Anyone who would want to hurt her for betraying them?” 

Kid Flash considered this. “I’m not sure. It’s been a year though—do you really think that someone would wait this long if they wanted revenge?” 

Robin frowned. “I’m not sure.” 

Beast Boy chimed in hesitantly. “Is it possible that someone escaped? You know, from the giant, ice jail?” 

“Let’s find out.” Cyborg said, tapping a few buttons on the control panel. A screen appeared, showing the Brotherhood of Evil’s former headquarters—now a massive prison for the frozen villains that had faced the Titans. There was heavy security, guards, and several superheroes patrolling the facility. One of them appeared onscreen. 

“Hello Titans West.” Pantha said. Robin noticed that her accent was thicker than usual. “Why do you call us?” 

“Just checking in with you. We wanted to see if anyone has escaped from there.” Cyborg replied casually. 

She let out a huff. “It is not possible for them to escape. Even if these blocks of ice managed to unfreeze themselves, they could not get past our defenses.” She paused for a moment, and then asked, “Why do you ask this?” 

Robin, still standing near Kid Flash, said, “Jinx was kidnapped, Pantha.” 

The older woman said gravely, “This is terrible news. What has been done to find her?” 

“We’re still trying to track her movements before she disappeared. Other than that, we don’t have any leads.” 

“There is not much we can do for you from here.” She told him. “But if you need assistance, call us immediately and we will come.” 

Cyborg replied, “Thank you, Pantha.” 

“You are most welcome. Now if you will excuse me, I must get back to my team.” 

The transmission ended and there was silence in the room again. Cyborg turned to look at Robin and asked, “So if no one’s escaped from there, then who’s left?” 

“Perhaps it is someone new?” Starfire suggested. 

Robin walked to the control panel and began to pull up any recent criminal activities that had happened in Jump City. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for but he knew that as soon as he found it, it would be obvious to him. “It’s all been standard lately. No criminals with any sort of super powers or ties to anyone linked with the Brotherhood.” 

Raven spoke up now, her voice quiet and ominous. “Has anyone else been taken?” 

All of them stood there, staring at her. Robin felt a deep sense of fear and dread growing inside him. Was it possible that someone kidnapping Jinx wasn’t just random? He didn’t want to even consider the possibility that the Titans were being targeted again. But now that Raven had brought it up, he knew he couldn’t ignore it. 

“Cyborg, we need to start contacting all the other Titans and account for every single one of them. If there’s even a chance that someone’s coming after us again, we have to know about it.” Robin said, making sure his voice was calm and sure, betraying none of the rising panic he was feeling. 

“On it.” Cyborg said, turning back to the control panel. 

When Robin looked back up at everyone, he only counted three pairs of eyes staring at him. Raven had vanished from the room and he knew why. “I’ll be right back.” He said, walking up the stairs and out of the main room. As soon as he made a left in the hallway, shutting the door that led to the main stairwell, he took a deep breath and allowed himself a moment to collect his thoughts. He swore to himself that this would never happen again. Never again would someone hurt his friends and leave him helpless to stop it. But here he was, facing the exact same situation that he had a year before, with the exact same plan of nothing to keep it from happening. 

He began to climb the stairs that led to the roof, thinking, ‘What am I supposed to do? What the hell am I supposed to do?’ 

{Robin, cont.} 

“Hello, Robin.” She greeted him, not bothering to turn around. It didn’t surprise him as much anymore. At first, after she had been inside his mind, he was constantly startled by how aware she was of him and the way he felt. But as time went on, he understood that they had a bond from the experience. They were both able to sense each other’s feelings on a different level than other people could. 

He didn’t bother to respond to her greeting. “Why did you leave, Raven?” 

“You know why.” 

He came to stand beside her, staring out at their spectacular view of the bay. “You’re having trouble controlling your powers.” 

“The floating spoons were a dead giveaway, I think.” 

A small, grim smile slipped onto Robin’s face, then disappeared. “Is it because of Jinx?” 

She nodded. “Something about the mental connection between us messed with my control.” She wrapped her arms around herself, like it could somehow hold her together. “I haven’t ever been in contact with so much fear and despair before. It was…unsettling.” 

“I’m sorry you have go through this, Raven.” He said, turning to look at her. “Especially that you’re going through it alone.” 

She continued to stare into the distance. “It’s just part of being me.” 

Robin wished there was something he could do to help her. He knew she dealt with a lot when it came to her empathic powers: trying to control her own emotions, fighting to keep from experiencing the emotions of others, and dealing with the overwhelming burden of the feelings that slipped past her defenses. For him, the strength of his emotions could be too much to bear sometimes. It was almost like a hand that strangled him, forcing him to focus on nothing but the sensations of the moment. He lost control of his rage so easily, even after all this time of training himself to smother it. He could only guess at how Raven felt every single day. 

“What if you didn’t have to go through it alone?” It was less of a question and more of an offer. 

“No.” She said, finally turning to look at him. 

“You said it yourself. What you experienced shook your control and now you’re struggling to control your powers. You need help.” 

She stared at him, her face a blank mask that rivaled his own. “You don’t know what you’re asking, Robin. You don’t know what my powers would do to you.” 

“We have a bond, remember? You’ve already been inside my mind.” 

“It’s not the same thing. There’s a difference between a mental bond and pouring some of my emotions into you. I’m not going to put you in danger.” 

Robin sighed. “I just don’t know how else to help you.” 

“You have more than enough to deal with right now, without worrying about me. I’ll be fine.” 

She went back to staring at the sunset in silence. Robin, however, wasn’t ready to let the conversation end. “You’re not alone, Raven.” 

She looked over at him, with the ghost of a smile on her lips, surprising him. “I know.” 

{Beast Boy} 

Part of him felt guilty for not mentioning Adam to any of his friends. He intended to talk about it with someone when he came back to the Tower, but the whole thing with Kid Flash and Jinx seemed more important. What did it matter that someone who looked like Terra was hanging around Jump City? ‘And has the same powers that she had.’ He thought. 

All the same, his guilt was enough to send him away from Titans Tower, traveling back to the place where one of his best friends met her tragic end. When he walked into the cavern, he remembered the last moment that he and Terra had shared. It had haunted so many of his dreams since then and followed him through his days, making him wish he could have changed what happened. He wanted more than anything to go back and save her. 

“Hey Terra.” He said solemnly, staring up at the stone figure of the girl that he once loved. He never told anyone how felt about her—he didn’t even say those words to her when she was around. Maybe it was because he never got a chance to. But mostly, it was because he was too afraid of what she might say in return. 

He sat down on the ground in front of her, wrapping his arms around his knees. Before he even realized it, he was wiping tears from his green eyes. “I miss you so much.” He said, his voice choked with emotion. “I met this guy today, Terra. He looks just like you and at first, I thought he was you. I thought that maybe you came back.” He laughed brokenly, wiping at his streaming nose. “I guess that was dumb of me. But I just…always hoped, you know?” 

He looked at her stone face, remembering all the times it had been alive and lit up with a smile. He imagined that somehow, even though she was fused into the earth, she could still hear him speak. “I still love you.” His voice echoed in the empty cavern. “I know I never told you, but it’s the truth.” He blinked back more tears. “I just wish that love was enough to bring you back.” Finally, he stopped trying to fight. He laid his head down on his crossed arms and cried. He cried for the loss of his friend, he cried for all the things he could never say, and he cried for all the days he lived without her.


	4. Revelations

Breathe in the light  
I'll stay here in the shadow  
Waiting for a sign, as the tide grows  
Higher, and higher, and higher  
\--Oblivion, M83  
{Beast Boy}

He walked back into the video arcade later that night, staring thoughtfully at the massive hole in the wall. It hadn’t registered with him earlier that Adam had buried the evidence of the attack under the video arcade. But once he had a moment alone to think, he remembered Adam breaking open the floor beneath the robot, then just sealing it up like it was nothing. Like nothing had even happened and his life wasn’t in danger just moments before. Beast Boy knew he had to get a closer look at that robot. 

“Hey Stan.” He greeted the other boy, who was currently sweeping up the last bits of the broken roof. 

Stan looked up at him with a friendly face that quickly turned apprehensive. “You didn’t bring that guy back with you, right?” 

Beast Boy shook his head. “Nope. I don’t even know where to find him.” 

“I wish you did. My boss is pissed.” 

“Yeah, I bet.” He bent down to pick up a piece of plaster from the floor, dropping it into Stan’s dustpan. “So I’m trying to figure out where that robot came from. Do you think I could get down there to take a look?” 

Stan stared at him, looking confused. “Get down…where exactly?” 

“Under the floor.” 

“You can do that?” The other boy’s mouth was hanging open in surprise. 

“Well yeah. I mean, I can turn into any animal. Even the ones that dig through the ground.” Beast Boy said with a shrug. 

Stan was in awe now. “Wow. That’s so cool.” 

“So it’s okay?” 

“Huh? Oh yeah, it’s fine with me. Just don’t tell my boss, okay?” 

Beast Boy grinned at him. “He won’t hear it from me.” 

“Good deal.” Stan replied, grinning back. “I gotta get back to cleaning up, but let me know if you need anything.” 

“You got it!” Beast Boy turned from the other boy and back to the gaping hole in the wall. He knew he wouldn’t be able to reach the robot from inside the arcade, so he climbed through the hole and stepped outside. The summer air was hot and thick during the day, but at night it cooled down enough to be just bearable. He morphed into a gopher and quickly began to burrow through the ground, heading for the relative area where he expected the robot to be. It took a few minutes before he reached the crushed remains, sniffing around to see if he could find any traces. There wasn’t much to speak of, but Beast Boy noticed a strange mark on the robot’s mangled chest plate. 

‘It’s a Z. Does that stand for something?’ 

He couldn’t think of anything that would connect the symbol to the robot’s origin. Finally, he decided it was time to do some research. Even though the very thought of it made him cringe. When he emerged from the ground, he morphed back into his human form and took a deep breath of air. He had no idea how actual gophers hung out underground all the time—it was almost enough to make him cloister-phobic. 

“Do you normally hang around places you’ve been attacked? Or is today just an exception?” 

Beast Boy nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the voice. He whirled around, poised to fight. Adam was standing not five feet away, staring at him with an almost amused expression. “Dude! You can’t sneak up on somebody like that!” 

“And you should learn to mind your surroundings. If it hadn’t been me, then you would have been in a lot of trouble.” Adam said reproachfully. 

Beast Boy frowned. “It’s not like I have people after me every time I go anywhere.” 

“Lucky you.” The blonde boy crossed his arms over his chest, still staring at the shape shifter. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Adam shook his head. “Nothing. Why are you here?” 

“Why are you here?” Beast Boy countered. 

“It’s not your business, Beast Boy.” Adam replied curtly. 

“Are you seriously trying to pull that whole ‘mysterious, loner guy’ act with me? My leader is the definition of mysterious, loner guy. And trust me, I don’t need another one of him.” 

Adam tilted his head, observing him with a curious expression. “So why did you come back here then?” 

“I want answers.” 

“Then you’re wasting your time.” Adam replied, mouth narrowing into a straight, hard line. 

Beast Boy was starting to get angry with him now. He didn’t understand why he was being so stubborn and refusing to tell him anything, especially since his “business” involved being chased by murderous robots and putting innocent people’s lives at risk. But he was mostly just angry because Adam was treating him like a kid. He wasn’t a kid. He could handle the truth. 

“Somebody was just trying to kill you today. Do you really think it’s a good idea to shut out the one person who wants to help you?” 

Adam’s face was blank when he said, “You don’t even know me, Beast Boy. And you definitely don’t know my intentions. So don’t offer to help me when you don’t know what I’m capable of.” 

“I’m trying to give you the benefit of the doubt here.” Beast Boy replied, feeling frustrated with the older boy. 

“Don’t be stupid.” Adam narrowed his eyes, his voice lowering to an angry whisper. “You’ll get yourself killed.” 

“Why?” Beast Boy challenged him. He moved closer, the beast inside of him urging him forward. 

Adam growled. “I’m not going to play this game with you. Just because you’re a Titan doesn’t mean that you know everything. Don’t assume you can trust me based on the fact that I haven’t tried to kill you.” 

“You said you were here to find the people that murdered your sister. I want to help you. Why is that so hard for you to understand?” Beast Boy could feel the beast clawing its way up, trying to take control. He took a deep breath and attempted to calm down. He couldn’t afford to let the animal inside of him come out. It was important for him to keep his cool right now. He couldn’t let Adam affect him like this. 

“I’m not a good person, Beast Boy.” Adam said, all the anger suddenly erased from his voice. It took the green changeling by surprise. “And I don’t want to get anyone who is good involved in this. I’ve caused too much collateral damage already.” 

“Keeping secrets won’t make this better. You know that, right?” Beast Boy asked. His voice sounded gentle now. 

Adam’s mask of a face cracked for a moment. Beast Boy saw the haunted look that broke through and felt a deep wave of compassion for him. Quietly, staring at Beast Boy like he could somehow see through him, he said, “It’s the only thing I know how to do.” 

“Beast Boy? Are you okay?” Stan called to him from the hole in the wall. 

He turned to him, saying, “Yeah, I’m fine.” 

Stan looked worried. “I thought I heard you yelling at someone.” 

Beast Boy quickly turned around. Adam was gone. Damn it. I don’t need another Robin in my life. Isn’t one of him enough? He pasted a smile on his face and looked back at Stan. “Nah, just me talking to myself. Sorry I freaked you out, dude.” 

Stan smiled back. “No big deal. I’m just all paranoid since that robot this morning.” He paused, and then asked, “Did you find any clues down there?” 

For a moment, he seriously considered telling Stan about the symbol he saw. But then he thought it through and realized that it wasn’t safe for Stan to know anything. For whatever reason, Adam had buried that robot so no one would ever find it. He wasn’t even supposed to know what he did…which meant that Stan was the last person in the world he should tell. So he shook his head, allowing himself to look frustrated. “Nah, it was completely crushed. I got nothing.” 

“Hey, I’m sorry man. That’s rough. But I’m sure you’ll figure something out.” Stan grinned. “I mean, you are a Teen Titan after all.” 

“Ha ha. Very funny.” Beast Boy smiled, rolling his eyes. 

Stan gave a little bow. “I do my best.” 

When the other boy finally went back to his work, Beast Boy decided it was time to head back to the Tower. He needed answers and he knew the only way he would get them was through searching the Titans main frame. No matter how much he really didn’t want to. 

{Raven} 

The other Titans were in the main room, working through a long list of heroes and hoping that no one else had gone missing. She couldn’t be in there, at least not with Kid Flash in his current emotional state. ‘Or mine.’ It was hard to block out anyone’s emotions at the moment, but his were proving to be the most difficult. 

“Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos.” She chanted, levitating above the floor in her room. She had to regain her control. It would be too dangerous for everyone if she didn’t. For a moment, she thought about Terra. She remembered how unstable and wild her powers were when they first met her. ‘I’m just as dangerous right now as she was then. Maybe more.’ 

“Raven?” Kid Flash said, knocking on her door. 

She was so surprised by the interruption that she dropped onto the floor, collapsing in an ungraceful heap. “What?” She practically growled out the word. 

“Can I talk to you?” 

Raven got to her feet. “Now isn’t a good time.” 

“Raven, please? I need to do something. I’m going crazy in there.” 

She sighed, walking to her bedroom door. It slid open and there stood Kid Flash, looking completely lost. “What do you need?” She asked him. 

“Is there something I should be doing?” He asked, looking anxious. “I can’t just sit in there and do nothing when she’s…” He cut himself off. 

“Why are you asking me this? Robin’s in the main room—he can tell you what to do.” 

Kid Flash shook his head. “Everyone in there is working on contacting the other Titans. That’s priority one right now.” He looked at her, determination in his eyes and agony in his heart. “Somebody should be looking for her. Trying to figure out who took her and where she is now.” 

“We’re doing everything we can. We don’t have much to go on.” Raven said. As the words left her lips, she suddenly had an idea. “Do you know what Jinx was doing between the time you last saw her and the time she was abducted? That could help.” 

A light went on in the red-head’s eyes. “I don’t, but I can find out ASAP.” He grinned at her. “Tell Robin I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’m going to go trace her trail!” He took off running at a super human speed, leaving Raven alone. She felt guilty, but she was glad that he was gone. She stepped back from her door and turned to face her room. All at once, agonizing pain split her head and she screamed, collapsing to her knees. 

‘No. Not again!’ 

Against her will, she was torn from her own body and abruptly shoved into Jinx’s mind. She was screaming too. When she stopped, she started running, staggering almost like she was drunk. Raven knew she had been injected with more drugs, inhibiting her ability to fight back. 

‘Jinx! Where are you?’ 

Jinx saw a dark shape looming over her and began to panic. ‘I don’t know!’ She tried to run again and a large, powerful fist beat her across the face. She hit the floor, gasping. 

A deep, gravelly voice said, “Run, witch. Make this a challenge for me.” 

Jinx couldn’t focus on the figure or even the room itself. But still, she was preparing to attack. Raven suddenly had an idea. She wasn’t sure if it would work, but still she said, ‘Let me help you.’ 

The other girl was confused. ‘What?’ 

Raven repeated her words. ‘Let me help you.’ 

Somehow, Jinx understood what Raven meant. She instantly gave control over to her. Raven gathered her power, willing it flow through the pink-haired girl’s body. The person began to run at Jinx and Raven summoned a shield, deflecting the next blow. She heard, rather than saw, Jinx’s attacker being thrown across the room. 

“What the hell?” The voice snarled. “You said she couldn’t use her powers!” 

Another voice came over a speaker, sounding distorted. “She can’t. Wherever these powers are coming from, they are not hers.” The voice paused, then said, “Initiate response Alpha.” 

‘Raven! What’s happening?’ 

‘They know something’s wrong.’ 

Raven heard the sound of something hissing in the room. It grew louder and louder and she began to get dizzy. All at once, she knew what they were up to. ‘They’re trying to knock you out.’ 

‘Do something! Please!’ 

She willed Jinx’s body to slip through the walls of the room, trying to open a portal with her magic. Nothing was happening. ‘The connection isn’t strong enough for me to get you out.’ The world started to spin around her and Jinx’s body began to lose its balance. Raven was beginning to panic and Jinx was screaming in her head. ‘Don’t leave me! Please don’t leave me!’ 

“Lights out, witch girl.” The deep voice said out of nowhere, suddenly punching her hard in the face. 

Raven’s power poured from Jinx’s fingers, picking up the figure and throwing them into one of the walls. She heard them groan as Jinx’s body finally gave out, dropping backwards onto the floor. Jinx’s thoughts were erratic and nonsensical and Raven could barely hear them. She was slipping from her mind when she caught a picture of something in Jinx’s memories. She thought to herself, ‘Is that…?’ 

Suddenly, she was gasping for air, coming to in her own body. She was lying on her bedroom floor, completely drenched with sweat. All she could see was the picture she had pulled from Jinx’s mind. It was faint and she couldn’t be sure of exactly who it was, but they had long, blonde hair and blue eyes. And they were there when Jinx was taken. 

{Robin} 

“So everyone’s accounted for on your team, Bumblebee?” He asked, leaning over the control panel. 

She nodded. “All of us are here. We haven’t heard of any heroes going missing near us, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened.” She gave him a searching look. “You really think someone’s going after the Titans again?” 

“It’s possible.” Robin replied after a moment. “Until we find Jinx, we won’t know for sure.” 

“Do you need us down there?” 

“Not yet. We’ll let you know if that changes.” 

Bumblebee smiled. “Keep in touch.” Then she turned to Cyborg and said, “And don’t you be a stranger either.” 

Cyborg smiled back at her. “Count on it, B.” 

The transmission ended and Robin went back to frowning deeply. So far, everyone they had contacted was safe and no one had heard of any other Titans being taken. It was beginning to look like Jinx’s abduction was completely unrelated to the Titans network. This only put Robin at ease for the moment. He knew it could end up going either way in no time at all. 

“Ready for the next group?” Cyborg asked him. 

Robin nodded. “It’s Hot Spot and Argent, right?” 

“Yep. I think they’re still stationed out in Morocco.” Cyborg said, typing in a few commands. The Titans main frame tried to start a transmission but nothing was happening. The older boy frowned. “That’s weird.” 

“What’s wrong?” Robin asked. 

“It’s almost like the connection can’t be made. Like their network is down.” 

Starfire flew to them from her spot on the couch, sounding anxious. “Has something happened to our friends?” 

“I’m not sure, Star.” Cyborg replied, trying to start another transmission. This also failed. “I can’t figure out what’s happening right now.” 

All of a sudden, an unknown transmission screen opened up and there was Argent. Starfire gasped as soon as she saw her appearance. The small girl looked like she had gone through a heavy beating. She had a black eye and severe bruising on her face and neck. “Titans. I was hoping you would try to contact me.” She said, wincing. “If you’re wondering why no one answered at our base, it’s because it doesn’t exist anymore.” 

Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg stared at her with wide eyes. Robin was the first to speak. “What happened, Argent?” 

“We were attacked. They took Hot Spot—I only barely managed to escape. I was able to set up communications so I would be alerted if someone tried to contact our base. I haven’t dared to make contact with anyone myself.” She told them, speaking slowly and carefully. Robin knew it was to keep her wounds from flaring up. 

“Who has taken Hot Spot?” Starfire asked. 

“I’m not sure.” She said. “They came out of nowhere and the attack was so sudden. They’ve had him for almost a day now.” 

Robin went into strategy mode almost instantly. “Do you have any footage of the attack?” 

Argent shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. They destroyed everything.” She paused, seeming to consider something. Then she said, “I’m in the process of tracking them right now. All I know is that this attack wasn’t random. The people who took Hot Spot knew exactly where we were and how to get past our defenses.” 

“Argent, you should know that Jinx has also been abducted. It’s possible that the same people are involved.” Robin told her. 

The small girl didn’t say anything at first. She just stood there, staring blankly at nothing. When she did speak, she didn’t look at them. “Are the Titans being attacked again?” 

“We don’t know for sure…” Robin began. 

Suddenly, she lashed out, surprising all of them. “They’ve taken two Titans already, Robin! Once is random, twice is no coincidence! Someone is after us.” She ran her fingers through her short, dark hair, calming down. “I’ve tracked them as far as Gotham City. The trail has gone cold but I’m still looking. If I can’t find anything else, I’ll head for Jump City.” 

Robin didn’t say anything so Cyborg said, “Stay safe, Argent.” 

“Same to you. Please don’t try to contact me again until I reach you. I need to stay off the grid as much as possible.” 

The transmission ended suddenly. Robin slammed his fist against the control panel, filled with unexpected anger. “Damn it!” He shouted. Starfire and Cyborg watched him silently and he couldn’t even be bothered to feel shame for losing control. He was at loss—completely unsure of what to do now. He knew Argent was right. Someone was after the Titans again. He had to do something to protect his team. ‘But what?’ 

At that moment, Kid Flash came rushing into the room, skidding to a stop in front of him. His eyes were bright and his face was excited. “Robin! I know what happened to Jinx!”


	5. Battle Lines

There's something happening here  
What it is ain't exactly clear  
There's a man with a gun over there  
Telling me I got to beware  
I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound  
Everybody look what's going down

\--For What It’s Worth, Buffalo Springfield

 

{Beast Boy}

He wasn’t sure where to start once he got back to the tower and settled into one of the lower control rooms. He just sat in the desk chair in front of the computer, staring at the screen like it could somehow figure it out for him. How was he supposed to know what he should be looking for exactly? How did Robin or Cyborg ever know what to look for? He sighed. 

“Guess it’s time to do what I do best. Make stuff up as I go.” 

Quickly logging into the Titans mainframe, he started searching for the letter Z to see what he might find. There wasn’t anything that showed up with that search term so he tried Z and robots. That brought up the Zenith Corporation. Beast Boy vaguely remembered Cyborg being excited about them setting up shop in Jump City. He said they were making great advances in the robotic field or something. Scrolling down farther through the search results, he noticed an article from the Gotham City Times about a terrible accident that happened at their former headquarters. He clicked to read more and froze in his seat at what he saw. 

“There was an earthquake?” He stared at the screen, unable to believe his eyes. About 6 months ago there was a freak earthquake that hit Gotham City, which caused major damage to the industrial section. Worst of all, the intensity of the quake caused the structural integrity of the Zenith Corporation headquarters to fail and the building collapsed. Only a handful of people survived. Considering how many worked there, the death toll was staggering. 

“Oh my god.” Beast Boy dragged his hands through his green hair. Adam’s words from earlier about causing collateral damage were replaying over and over in his head. Was it possible that he caused the death of so many people? But why would he do something like that? “What if it had something to do with his sister and whoever killed her? Is that even possible?” 

He wracked his brain for a moment, trying to remember what Adam said her name was. Then it came to him. “Meri. He said her name was Meri.” He decided to search for missing high school students from Gotham that had her name. Still more nothing. He eased back in his seat, thinking about where else Adam and his sister could have been living. “Bludhaven, maybe?” 

He typed in ‘missing high school students’ and ‘Meri’ and ‘Bludhaven’ into the search engine. A missing persons notice from last year appeared from the Bludhaven News. It said, ‘On August 18th, fifteen year old Meri Everhart was reported missing from her home in Avalon Heights. She is Caucasian, approximately 5”4, 130 pounds, blonde hair with a pixie cut, and green eyes. She was last seen wearing a dark brown tee shirt, jeans, and white sneakers. If you have any information about this missing girl, please contact the Bludhaven Police Department.’ 

“So your last name’s Everhart, Adam?” Beast Boy mused thoughtfully. “I wonder what else I can find out about you?” 

His fingers went back to the keyboard, but right as he began to type, the Titans crime alert began to go off. Robin’s voice came over his communicator, saying, “Beast Boy, there was an explosion at the Jump City Central Bank. They need us there ASAP. Do you copy?” 

“Copy that, dude. I’ll fly there now.” 

“Star, Raven, and Kid Flash will be right behind you. Cyborg and I will follow in the T-Car.” 

Beast Boy clipped the communicator back onto his belt and walked over to the only window in the room. Without even thinking about it, he morphed into an eagle and flew right out the opening. Since he was flying, it would only take him a few minutes to reach the downtown area. He had done this so many times that it was second nature for him, giving him the ability to fly on what was essentially auto-pilot. As he soared over the bay, he thought about Adam. He had only met him yesterday, but already he had turned Beast Boy’s life upside down. His mysterious nature, his desire for revenge, and especially the way he looked like Terra only served to further confuse the green changeling. And after seeing the news about what happened in Gotham, Beast Boy wasn’t sure if Adam was someone he could trust. 

‘But he already told me he wasn’t. So why’s it so hard for me to believe that?’ 

He couldn’t truthfully answer his own question. So he decided it was better to just forget all his doubts and confusion for the moment and focus on the mission at hand. He had just flown over the Titan’s favorite pizza place, which meant he wasn’t too far from the Central Bank. Suddenly, he saw another explosion erupt several hundred feet ahead of him and he knew that whatever was attacking the bank was still there. He soared closer, dropping onto the roof of the building across the street and morphing back into his human form. 

“Robin, I made it to the bank. Whoever’s attacking it is still here. Should I go in?” He asked, speaking into the communicator with his eyes on the front of the building. 

“Negative. Wait for backup. The others will be there any minute.” 

Beast Boy hooked the communicator back onto his belt, huffing in frustration. He could handle it. He didn’t need to wait for the other Titans to hold his hand in a fight. Suddenly, there was another explosion and someone was jettisoned backwards through a massive hole in the building’s front wall. As soon as he saw the long, blonde hair and the glowing, yellow aura surrounding them, Beast Boy morphed into a gorilla and jumped from the roof. He was running as fast as he could and reached Adam right around the time that someone emerged from the same gash in the building. When he saw the mask covering her face, he instantly recognized her as Cheshire, one of the newer members that had been recruited into the Brotherhood of Evil the year before. She had somehow managed to escape the Brotherhood’s headquarters during the final battle and hadn’t been seen since then. 

“Get out of here, Beast Boy!” Adam snarled, getting to his feet. “She’s not after you!” 

“Yes. Run, hero.” Cheshire said with a taunting voice as she slinked closer to them. “Your team couldn’t stop me before. I’m sure you can’t do much better.” 

Beast Boy bared his teeth at her, giving her a dangerous growl. She gave a dark laugh, which was accented by the creepy, grinning mask she wore, and suddenly charged them, her metal claws extended. Beast Boy went running towards her but Adam was too fast for him, launching a large chunk of the road in her direction before raising a wall of rock between them. Cheshire easily dodged Adam’s projectile and lunged over his shield, taking a swipe at the older boy’s face with her claws. Out of nowhere, Beast Boy charged her, slamming her into the rock wall with all the force he could muster. She fought back, throwing a punch to his face that sent him spinning. He quickly morphed into a rhinoceros and rushed her again, intending to knock her through the solid rock. 

Cheshire side-stepped him easily, running towards the older boy with incredible speed. Adam raised his arms in the air and made a sharp gesture, parting the earth in front of him with ease. She wasn’t fazed by this either, jumping into a cartwheel as she pushed off the edge, soaring above the chasm Adam made in the road. He quickly tried to form a shield in front of him but her claws sliced through like it was butter. She swung her fist, punching him hard in the face and knocking him several feet away. She started to run towards him again but Beast Boy came out of nowhere, throwing his gorilla body into hers. They hit the ground, struggling against each other for a moment before Beast Boy got the upper hand, pinning her down. 

“You aren’t getting the best of me, little hero.” She said menacingly. 

Before Beast Boy knew what was happening, he was enveloped in deep purple fumes that were suddenly choking the air out of his lungs. He let go of Cheshire, hands reaching for his throat as he struggled to breathe. She slashed him across the chest with her claws and he toppled off her, gasping in pain and the need for oxygen. 

{Adam} 

“Beast Boy!” Adam cried, summoning a projectile from the earth around him. Before he could release it at the smaller girl, someone yelled from behind him, “Terra?” 

He turned to look at a tall girl with long, red hair who was floating several feet in the air, hands glowing with bright, green power. She was staring at him with a mixture of shock and confusion on her face. Suddenly, a sharp, hard impact hit him in the face and pain bloomed across his left side as he hit the ground, sliding on the asphalt. Cheshire was suddenly on him, pressing her claws to his throat, and he stopped moving at the feel of the blade against his skin. 

“Don’t make this harder.” She whispered in his ear. “If you don’t come with me now, I’ll have to find you again. And maybe your little friend too.” 

Adam didn’t say a word. He silently formed a fist out of the rock surrounding him, aiming it for Cheshire’s head. 

“You’re an incredibly popular boy. Everyone will be looking for you soon. Save yourself some trouble and give up now.” She murmured, nicking his throat a little with the blade. 

The moment he felt a little blood trickle down his neck, Adam released the fist and slammed it as hard as he could into the side of Cheshire’s head. She was completely blind-sided, the impact flinging her almost to the other side of the street. He raced after her, summoning the earth into a constellation of rocks above the girl’s head. Cheshire looked up from her place on the road, saw the sky full of boulders, and instantly vanished. Adam stopped in his tracks, staring with confusion at the spot where the girl had just been. 

“Terra?” Another voice said. 

He turned to look, seeing that the red-headed girl had been joined by four other people, all dressed in bizarre looking clothes. He had never seen people like these before. They were all looking at him with varying degrees of surprise and suspicion. Then he remembered Beast Boy and quickly turned, rushing to the place where the fumes were finally dying down. Beast Boy was still coughing, sucking as much air as he could into his lungs. He had morphed back into his human form and somehow managed to sit up, despite the burning pain from his chest. 

“Where’d she go?” He asked Adam, watching the older boy with concerned, green eyes. 

Adam shrugged. “She just disappeared. Is that something she does normally?” 

“No idea, dude. I’ve never seen her do it before.” 

Adam pointed over his shoulder at the other Titans, who were standing there and watching them in stunned silence. “Why do they keep calling me Terra?” 

Beast Boy had a sudden deer in the headlights look on his face. Adam knew something was up. “Umm, I’m not sure.” 

Adam reached out a hand to him and Beast Boy accepted the help, struggling briefly to stand. He looked at the older boy with an awkward expression, saying, “That’s my team. Well, and Kid Flash. He’s visiting.” 

“I didn’t want to get you involved, Beast Boy.” Adam murmured quietly. “Now if that assassin comes back, she’s going to come for you too.” 

“Would you quit worrying?” Beast Boy said. “You need friends—people to help you. I deal with this stuff all the time. It’s not a big deal.” 

Adam frowned, staring down at the bloody slash across Beast Boy’s uniform. “It is a big deal. This is my fight. I’m not going to let you get hurt because of me.” 

“It’s my choice. Not yours.” 

Adam’s blue eyes narrowed, a deep fire glowing inside them. “We’ll see about that.” 

Suddenly, his whole body lit up with the gold aura of his power and he melded into the ground below them, vanishing completely. Beast Boy stared down at the ground in surprise. ‘So that’s how he disappears so quickly.’ It was Robin’s voice that brought him back to reality. He looked up to see that his leader had walked past the other Titans, coming to stand beside him. Despite the domino mask that covered his eyes, Beast Boy still clearly saw all the emotion he was feeling. 

“Beast Boy? Who was that? And what the hell just happened?” 

The green boy sighed. He had a lot of explaining to do. 

{Argent} 

She had followed their attackers as far as Gotham City, to some warehouse district near the ocean. She knew that Hot Spot wasn’t with them, considering how shoddy their security measures were. Anyone could have followed them to discover this place. Though part of her was still uneasy at how simple it was to find these people. Either this was a trap or they truly didn’t care if someone found out about this place—which meant that there wouldn’t be much information to glean from it. But still, anything she found about who had taken her friend would be helpful at this point. 

After she slipped inside the building, hiding herself in the shadows, she listened to what the uniformed men said. 

“…it’s complete bullshit that we didn’t get to help transport that Hot Spot kid. I mean, we helped capture him and everything.” 

“Yeah, but the boss was pissed that we didn’t get the little Goth girl too. So we’re stuck on babysitting duty until they’re ready to transport this little shit to Jump.” 

Argent’s eyes widened. They already captured another hero? In the time it took her to track them here? Or maybe they abducted this one before they took Hot Spot? She focused intently on the men’s words. 

“Why do they even want him for? He can’t do anything really. Plus, he can’t talk. Hardly a superhero if you ask me.” 

“Ha-ha, yeah. Who names their kid Jericho anyways?” 

Argent’s heart skipped a beat. They had Jericho. She remembered him from the previous year—the small boy with golden hair who could possess anyone’s body simply through eye contact. How had they managed to kidnap him? She wasn’t sure. However, one thing was absolutely certain at this point. She couldn’t leave Jericho here with these monsters to whatever horrible fate waited for him. But she couldn’t release him because he was the one link she had to Hot Spot. So that left only one option: sticking around until they moved Jericho to wherever the next place was. Then she would follow them and figure out where they took her friend. It wasn’t much of a plan, but at the moment it was all she had.


	6. The Great Divide

So I'll wait for you  
As I keep your faith alive  
And I'll pray for you  
As we cross the great divide  
And I'll break for you  
As I open up the sky  
And I'll stay for you  
As we cross the great divide  
\--The Great Divide, Breaking Benjamin

{Beast Boy}

“Who was that? And what the hell just happened?” Robin asked the younger boy, his face an open book of emotions, which at the moment were shock, fear, and anger. Well, mostly anger. 

“His name’s Adam. I, uhh, kind of saved him yesterday.” Beast Boy replied, completely unsure of how to explain this situation to his leader. 

Robin took a deep breath. Beast Boy knew he was trying not to yell and he also knew that it was proving to be a struggle for him. “You saved him from what exactly?” 

“Uhh, there was this psycho robot that was after him.” 

“A robot?” Robin stared at him with an incredulous expression. 

“Well yeah. I’m pretty sure it came from the Zenith Corporation. I think it’s because Adam caused this freak earthquake in Gotham City that totally wiped out their last headquarters, but I don’t exactly know. I mean, there’s no proof that he did it, but he’s not getting attacked by all these people for nothing.” 

Now Robin’s mouth was hanging open. “How long have you known about this?” 

“I was just reading about it when you called me. So…” He looked over at the nearby clock tower, squinting to read the time. “About thirty minutes.” 

“Why didn’t you tell any of us?” Robin asked, his voice getting an icy tone that made Beast Boy nervous. 

The green shape-shifter started shrinking under the narrowed eyes of his leader. “It didn’t seem that important. Not since Jinx went missing and…uhh.” 

“Someone sent Cheshire after him and you don’t think he was worth mentioning?” Robin’s voice lowered to a hush when he said the next part. “And the fact that he looks exactly like Terra wasn’t an important detail for you?” 

Beast Boy crossed his arms, looking away from the dark-haired boy in front of him. He was getting pissed off again and he really didn’t need that right now. Robin growled angrily. “Beast Boy, look at me.” 

“I don’t need you to lecture me, dude. I’m not a kid anymore.” 

“Then stop acting like one.” 

Beast Boy instantly turned to look at Robin, his face covered with frustration, and raised his voice as he spoke. “It’s not like I was trying to hide this from you guys, okay? I know what he looks like—I don’t need you tell me. But he wasn’t hurting anyone. He came here to find the people who murdered his little sister, not to blow up the city!” 

“His sister?” Robin said, his voice suddenly becoming quiet. 

Beast Boy realized the implications in Robin’s tone and quickly back-tracked. “Her name’s Meri and she died 6 months ago in Gotham. It’s not her, Robin.” 

After a few moments, Robin finally said, “You shouldn’t have kept this to yourself.” He sounded disappointed now and that was probably worse than him being angry. At least, it was to Beast Boy. 

“I’m sorry, alright? I didn’t think it was a big deal.” 

He surveyed the ruined street and the extensive damage to the front of Jump City Central Bank, cringing at the sight. ‘Okay, so it’s pretty much a big deal now.’ Without even saying it, he knew that Robin was chastising him for his actions. Now he really didn’t know what to say. 

“You have friends for a reason, Beast Boy. We’re here to help you and support you no matter what. But this team can only work if we trust each other. And keeping something like this from us isn’t anywhere close to trust.” 

Before the shape-shifter could respond, Raven had stepped away from the other three Titans and began to walk toward them. Robin looked over his shoulder and when he saw her coming, he took another deep breath. “We’ll talk about this later, Beast Boy.” Then his calm, collected mask slipped back on his face, completely hiding all the emotions from moments before. ‘His mood swings are seriously gonna give me whiplash.’ 

“Come here.” Raven instructed him quietly. Beast Boy took a few steps towards her, and then planted himself in one spot. She reached out, pressing a hand against the deep slashes on his chest. A gentle, blue glow suddenly appeared around her hand, spreading to the wounds and slowly knitting them back together. In a few moments, all that remained of Cheshire’s claw marks was the gashes in his uniform. 

“Thanks Rae.” He told her, giving her a small quirk of a smile. 

She nodded, not smiling back at him. Not that he expected anything different. Despite how close all of them had become, Raven still rarely smiled. But that was a side effect of her wild, emotion-based powers and not truly something she could control. He couldn’t hold that against her. Besides, when she did smile it was sort of like a miracle. And Beast Boy could deal with miracles. 

He turned his head back to Robin. “I’m going back to the Tower.” Without waiting for his leader to respond, Beast Boy morphed back into an eagle and took off flying into the sky. But despite what he had told Robin, he wasn’t going back to the Tower. Right now, he needed to find Adam more than anything. 

{Robin} 

“Are you alright?” Raven asked him, her normally monotone voice betraying a touch of concern. 

Robin continued to watch the green eagle flying further away from them. “Why wouldn’t he tell us about this?” 

“I don’t know.” She replied truthfully. 

“I thought we were past keeping secrets.” Robin said, speaking more to himself than to her. He started to walk back to the others, vaguely aware that she was following after him. ‘What reason could there be for Beast Boy to hide something like this from the team? Why would he choose to keep this to himself?’ Robin recalled the boy with long, blonde hair and couldn’t help but think that Beast Boy’s judgment was clouded by memories of Terra. This Adam looked so much like her—he even had the same gift of geo-kinesis. It made sense that Beast Boy would become attached to him. But if what he found out was true, if Adam had been the one that caused the earthquake in Gotham, then Beast Boy’s attachment was nothing but dangerous. 

When he got close enough to the group, Starfire gracefully landed on the ground and came to his side. Her face was full of curiosity, but also hesitation. “Robin, who was that person? And why did they look like…” 

He didn’t let her finish. He couldn’t bear to bring up Terra’s name again. Instead, he addressed his whole team. “His name is Adam. Beast Boy saved him from an attack yesterday. We have to find out everything we can about him. If the information that Beast Boy discovered is accurate, then Adam could be a potential threat—especially if he has assassins coming after him.” 

“But what of Jinx and Hot Spot? We must also search for them.” Starfire reminded him, subtly nudging her head in Kid Flash’s direction. The red-headed boy was biting his lip. It was a nervous habit he had picked up a few years ago and it almost made Robin smile when he remembered that. But this was not a situation for smiling or reminiscing. 

“I know.” Robin said. Out of nowhere, he was hit with a sudden wave of fear. He glanced over in Raven’s direction, sensing that she was distressed about something but not entirely sure what it was. She had pulled her hood up again, hiding her eyes from him…but why? 

Cyborg said grimly. “Looks like we better get good at multi-tasking.” 

{Argent} 

She watched them load the cage onto the back of an unmarked truck, making sure to conceal herself in the shadows of the building. They had sedated Jericho, but not before they had tied something around his eyes to prevent him using his powers. At least these hired thugs were smart enough to remember that important part. It had been over a day now and they were finally going to transport him to Jump City. She briefly contemplated contacting the Titans and letting them know what was happening, but what was the point in that? She really didn’t know anything about this operation. Mostly because the two men that guarded Jericho didn’t know much about it either. 

However, following them on their cross-country trip meant that she would find their headquarters or at the very least, the place they were holding heroes that they had captured. A flicker of hope still remained that Hot Spot would be there too. 

“We don’t get fucking paid enough for this shit.” One of them men grumbled, strapping the cage down in the back of the truck. 

“Too bad we couldn’t have gotten hired by the Penguin. Now there’s a guy who knows how to run an operation.” The other man said with a reverent tone to his voice. 

“I don’t know, man. He’s gotten captured by GCPD just as much as any of the rest. I hear they’ve got an honorary cell up in Arkham just for his ass, since he’s in and out so much.” 

The other guy dismissively waved his hand. “Doesn’t matter, Billy. The guy knows how to pay his people, is all I’m saying. I mean, we signed up for this gig and we don’t even get half of the money that Zenith promised us. All we’ve been getting is promise after promise that we’ll get it when the job’s done. But the job’s never fucking done, is it?” 

“I say we drop this brat off and then we beat it. I’m sick of getting yanked around like this…” 

Argent stopped listening to them then. They said their boss’s name was Zenith. That was definitely enough information to alert the Titans. She glanced up as the men shut and locked the back doors of the truck. They were still grumbling as they climbed into the cab of the truck and slammed the doors behind them. 

It was clear that she wouldn’t have time to contact the Titans just yet. She had to make sure that she didn’t lose the truck as it left Gotham. Once they started to move, she lifted off into the air and flew above the truck at a safe distance. She was glad that she had made a trip earlier to Goodwill and bought different clothes. It was much less likely that anyone would notice or recognize her now that she was wearing a regular tee shirt and jeans, baseball cap, and sunglasses. She could almost blend in with the regular humans around her. Of course, flying wasn’t exactly blending in, but it was dark and she could get away with it for now. 

When they had gotten outside of Gotham’s city limits, she pulled her communicator out of her pocket and attempted to raise the Titans. Nobody picked up so she figured that they must be in the middle of something. She quickly left them a message. 

“Titans, I have new information to tell you. I’m currently following a truck from Gotham City to Jump. They’ve captured Jericho and intend to deliver him to someone called Zenith there. Once I reach your city, I will let you know where they take him. Please don’t attempt to contact me until I contact you. I can’t risk being caught.” 

She stowed the communicator back in her jeans and continued flying, wishing more than anything that she could hear what the hired men were talking about right now. Muttering quietly to herself, she said, “Where’s Raven when you need her?” 

{Robin} 

“Run me through it again.” Robin said to Kid Flash. 

The red-head was sitting on the couch in the main room, holding a piece of pizza in his hand rather than eating it. “I went through the emails on her laptop. I guess she was talking to one of her old friends from the H.I.V.E. Academy and they decided to meet. They were supposed to meet at this coffee shop in downtown Keystone, but of course Jinx never showed.” 

Robin waited patiently while Kid Flash devoured the slice of pizza in two bites. Then he continued his story. “So I went downtown and checked around. It turns out that someone saw Jinx being kidnapped. I guess whoever took her threatened the witness’s life, which is why they never reported what they saw.” 

“Is it possible that Jinx was set-up?” Robin asked him. 

Kid Flash’s mouth dropped open. “I didn’t even think about that. Is there a way you guys can figure that out? I brought her computer with me.” 

“Sure can.” Cyborg said, walking over to him. “We can take that down to my room and start running diagnostics.” 

“Copy that, Captain.” Kid Flash jumped to his feet, grabbing his backpack off the floor before he followed Cyborg out of the room. 

That just left Robin in the main room, alone with his thoughts. Raven had disappeared into her room when they came back, and Starfire had gone out in the city in the hopes of finding Beast Boy since he hadn’t come back to the Tower. Robin tried not to feel guilty for losing his temper with the younger boy, but he couldn’t help it. Despite how much Beast Boy had grown in the last year, he still made poor choices and acted like he could solve problems on his own. Robin knew how angry it made him that he told him to wait for backup earlier. But Beast Boy was the youngest Titan and still had much to learn before Robin could trust him to operate on his own. 

“Robin.” 

Raven’s voice startled him and he jumped into a battle stance before he even thought about it. He couldn’t believe how easy it was for her to sneak up on him, especially considering who had taught him everything he knew. When he looked at her face, he expected to see a little amusement or smugness at scaring him, but he was surprised when instead he saw fear. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked, moving closer to her. 

“I got pulled into Jinx’s head again. Earlier, before we got the crime alert.” 

Robin sensed how turbulent her emotions were at the moment and he was instantly concerned for her. “What did you see?” 

“Someone was beating her. They drugged her and then they forced her to fight them. She was absolutely terrified.” Raven crossed her arms over her chest and he knew it was her sub-conscious way of trying to protect herself. “They’re running tests on her, Robin. Trying to figure out how her powers work.” 

“Why?” 

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t know what they want.” She hesitated for a moment but then said, “There’s more.” 

He waited, letting her have time to figure out how to say what she needed to. She took a deep breath. “Whenever I started to lose my connection with her, I saw some of her memories. One of them was from when she was kidnapped. I couldn’t see it clearly, but there was someone there with blonde hair and blue eyes. They…they almost looked like the boy that Beast Boy was defending earlier.” 

Robin’s eyes widened behind his mask. “He was there?” 

“I can’t be sure. I couldn’t really see their face—Jinx’s thoughts were a mess and they barely made any sense.” She looked at him, fear showing on her face again. “I can’t keep doing this. I have to find a way to sever the connection between us. She’s making me…I can’t lose control, Robin.” 

“I know.” He hesitated, and then said, “My offer still stands, Raven.” 

She shook her head. “I can’t do that. You know I can’t.” She pulled her hood up again and said quietly, “I just have to keep searching my spell books for an answer. There must be something that can help me.” 

“Why are you hiding from me?” Robin asked her. 

She didn’t meet his eyes when she replied. “I’m not.” 

“Yes you are. Raven, you’re part of this team and our family. All of us would do anything to help you.” 

“I know. You’ve proven that.” 

He frowned. “Then why won’t you…” 

She cut him off. “Robin, you have other things to be doing right now. This is something I can handle. You’ll know if I can’t.” 

Before he could say anything else, she disappeared into a dark portal and he was alone again. 

{Starfire} 

She had searched all the logical places that Beast Boy could have been; the pizza parlor, the park, and also the video game arcade. The boy who worked in the arcade did not seem happy to see a superhero there, though she supposed that she would not be happy either if someone had blown a hole in Titans Tower. She thought about where else her green friend might have gone. Then she realized something. 

“Beast Boy is looking for his friend, which means that he will not be somewhere he normally goes. He will be somewhere that his friend would go.” Starfire glanced around at her surroundings. “But where would someone with earth powers go?” 

She thought about Terra then, trying to remember the places that she had liked. Then she recalled the canyon where they first met her and how she had been staying in a cave. Perhaps that was the most logical place? 

“I must at least try.” She told herself. So she took off into the sky, gaining altitude as she flew above Jump City. She saw past the bay, past Titans Tower, and past the city limits to the canyon that lay just outside of her home. As she flew, she pulled out her communicator and attempted to reach her friend. “Beast Boy? This is Starfire. Come in please.” 

There was no response. Either he was ignoring her or he had turned off his communicator. She did not like either one of those options. She was quickly becoming worried and concerned for the younger boy. Truthfully, she was worried and concerned for everyone on her team right now. She knew something was going on with Raven because her powers had been acting up. She also knew that Robin was angry and scared about the possibility of someone attacking them again. Beast Boy was being secretive and she knew that this Adam person was the cause of it. Cyborg worried her because he had told her that he felt useless and unable to help their friends. And Kid Flash, though he was not technically part of their team, also worried her. He was devastated because of Jinx being kidnapped and he too felt useless to do anything to save her. 

Starfire was afraid for her team. Her friends were the only family she had and they were all in a state of turmoil, dealing with things on their own that they should be sharing with everyone. She remembered all too well what happened when individual Titans tried to solve their problems by themselves. And when there was a possibility that someone was after them, it was dangerous for them to be individuals rather than a team. So it seemed that it was up to Starfire to unite her friends again, but she was unsure of how to do this. 

Suddenly, the sound of a loud explosion startled her from her thoughts. She saw a huge cloud of dust fly into the air from somewhere in the canyon. She gasped, green eyes wide. “Beast Boy!” She didn’t think. She just poured on her speed, heading straight for the explosion and hoping that she wasn’t too late to help her friend.


	7. What You Keep Alive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains graphic depictions of torture, coarse language, and mentions of past child abuse. Please be aware before you read.

And you will feel the pain, you’ll see  
And I will bring the pain you need  
You keep me alive (so I can hurt you)  
You need me inside (I’m what you keep alive)

\--What You Keep Alive, Red 

{Starfire} 

As fast as she was going, it took her only a few minutes to reach the canyon. She heard another loud crash and saw a large cloud of dust rising not too far ahead, so she headed straight for it. When she rounded the corner, she saw a massive, green T-Rex running full speed into the rock wall of the canyon. 

“Beast Boy!” She screamed, watching as the dinosaur crashed into the rock, howling angrily. More dust flew into the air and Starfire held her hands up to protect her eyes. Finally, it was quiet again and she snuck a peek at the scene in front of her. The dinosaur had transformed back into her small, green friend who was now staring at her with a strange look on his face. She walked closer to him, her voice small and afraid when she asked, “Beast Boy? Are you alright?” 

“He’s not here, Star.” Beast Boy said. Although he said her name, Starfire knew that his mind was far from this place and far from the conversation they were having. 

“Who is not here?” She asked him, close enough now to see that he cuts on his hands. She was more worried now than she had been already. “Beast Boy, who is not here? Tell me.” 

Beast Boy finally looked at her and she saw the angry tears running down his face. “Adam. I thought he would be here. But he’s not.” With a sudden outburst of rage, he slammed his wounded fist against the rocks again and winced, clearly in pain. 

Starfire tried to remain calm, not knowing another course of action in this case. “Why did you think he would be here?” 

“Because she…” He trailed off and she knew why. She knew what he was thinking. 

“This Adam is not Terra, Beast Boy.” She told him gently. 

“Don’t you think I know that?” He snapped at her. 

When he saw the hurt look on her face, some of the anger disappeared from his expression. He ran his fingers through his short, green hair. “I’m sorry, Star.” 

“Why are you so angry that he is not here?” She asked him, trying to gloss over his previous unkind words. She understood that he wasn’t himself at the moment. 

“Honestly? I don’t really know. I’m not even mad at Adam.” 

“Then who has made you angry?” 

Beast Boy crossed his arms over his chest. He turned away from her a little, staring off into space. “Robin.” 

She walked closer to him, asking him curiously, “What has he done to make you so angry?” 

“He keeps treating me like a kid, Star. I’m almost seventeen and he still doesn’t trust me to do things by myself. I’ve been doing the superhero thing since I was really young—I know what I’m doing. But he doesn’t think I can do anything without someone there to back me up!” Beast Boy growled, kicking a rock across the ground. 

“Is this because he told you to wait for us at the bank?” 

This seemed to hit a sore spot for the younger boy because he began to yell. Starfire knew that his anger was not directed at her so it was easier for her listen to his frustrations. “You wanna know what would have happened if I had waited for you guys? Adam would be dead right now! Cheshire would have taken him and that would have been it. I saved him! But what does Robin do? He lectures me for not telling him about Adam and says that I don’t trust you guys.” Beast Boy suddenly transformed into a gorilla and slammed his large fists into the ground, howling with rage. 

“Beast Boy, please!” Starfire cried, trying to speak in a calm tone of voice. She remembered what her younger friend’s fury could turn him into and she was not especially eager to repeat that experience. “You cannot lose control like this. It is not safe for you.” 

He morphed back into his human form, huffing and taking deep breaths. This seemed to calm him down some because the green changeling plopped onto the ground, wrapping his arms around his knees. “I know. It just makes me feel better.” 

Starfire came to sit beside him. She said quietly, “I am worried for our friends, Beast Boy.” 

He gave her a strange look. “Why?” 

“Because we are not sharing our problems with each other. We are not acting like a team.” She continued to speak, refusing to give him a chance to pipe in with his objections. “It is not just you, Beast Boy. It is everyone. Raven struggles with her powers, Robin is angry and afraid of someone coming after us, Cyborg feels powerless, and Kid Flash feels like he has somehow failed Jinx.” 

“What about you, Star?” Beast Boy asked her, his voice strangely kind after his outburst. 

“I am scared that I am losing my family. I know what happens to us when we stop being open with our struggles. I fear that we may be on that same path again and I do not know how to stop it.” She felt hot, stinging tears spring up in her eyes and she tried to wipe them away, but more took their place. “I do not want to lose any of you. You are all I have.” 

Without her even needing to ask, Beast Boy wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. She was crying into his shoulder, finally releasing the wave of emotions that had been steadily building inside her. All she kept thinking about was the previous year, being captured by the Brotherhood of Evil and seeing all of her friends frozen as trophies for the evil villains that had planned the attack. Worst of all was when Kitten had told her that the Brotherhood had killed Cyborg and Raven. She had gone to her flash-frozen end, knowing that two of her friends were gone forever, and Robin was being forced to watch them do this to her. But she did not cry then. She would not give that awful girl the satisfaction of seeing her break. 

“I almost lost all of you last year. I could not bear it if I lost you again.” 

“I’m sorry, Star. I’m so sorry.” Beast Boy murmured, pressing one of his injured hands against her long, red hair. She continued to cry, telling the younger boy every single thing that came into her head. He did not tell her to stop but instead allowed her to ramble about her fears, her insecurities, and her guilt. And with each guarded secret that passed her lips, Starfire felt a burden lift off her shoulders that she hadn’t even known she’d been carrying. 

{Jinx} 

She didn’t know how long she’d been in this prison. It couldn’t have been more than a week or two, but it felt like it had been an eternity. Since Raven had entered her mind and taken over her body, they hadn’t come to her cell to run tests on her again. She laughed bitterly at the part about “running tests”. It was the polite way to say torture. She didn’t understand what these people wanted with her. She had only ever seen the man with the mask over his face. And she only saw him when he was coming towards her with that cattle prod or beating the shit out of her. Otherwise, they left her in this box with the electric collar around her neck that forced her to obey. If they hadn’t, she would have blown this place apart around her. 

Part of her wanted to know if she had really been talking to Angel in all those emails they had exchanged. If her old H.I.V.E. friend had been part of the plot to kidnap her, Jinx didn’t know what she would do. But if it wasn’t Angel, if someone else had been talking to her and trying to convince her to come out of hiding, then she thought it might be easier to stomach. She couldn’t believe that the other girl would ever betray her, especially if she knew what these people were capable of. 

‘If she’s even still alive.’ 

“No.” Jinx told herself. She couldn’t afford to think about other people and what might have happened to them. Then she would start to think about Wally and she might just lose her mind. So she forced all those traitorous thoughts into the back of her mind, refusing to acknowledge them again. She curled up against the wall that was farthest from the door, staring at it like they were having a competition to see who would blink first, and tried to think about safe things that wouldn’t make her feel unbalanced. 

Someone screamed from the hallway. “NO!” 

Jinx instantly flinched back against the wall. She could hear the fear and panic in the person’s voice and she knew they were experiencing the same treatment that she was. For some reason, the voice sounded sort of familiar and she fervently hoped she was wrong about that. Then she heard the security system on her door beep and her heart dropped into her stomach. The door slid open and one of those guards in the gray uniforms was standing there, pointing a gun at her. 

“On your feet.” He said. 

She was quick to obey, not wanting him to shock her with the collar again. On her first day here, she had tried to fight the guard and the collar shocked her so badly that her hands shook for hours afterwards. So she got up and walked to the guard, holding out her hands for him so he could cuff her. Once the cuffs were on, he said harshly, “Move.” 

Without a word, she walked out into the hallway and headed for the place she had come to dread with every part of her being. But as she made her way, a guard suddenly went flying out of an open cell door up ahead, slamming hard against the opposite wall. Jinx stopped in her tracks, eyes wide with alarm. Her guard went running towards the man, shouting out, “Johnson!” 

‘Who could have done that?’ 

Suddenly, Hot Spot lunged out of the room with his hands outstretched, wrapping them around her guard’s unsuspecting neck. He wasn’t using his powers, which made her think that they had already injected him with the inhibiting drugs they gave her. He didn’t have a collar on yet and that was the only reason that this fight had gone for so long. Suddenly, her eyes went wide. ‘He doesn’t have a collar yet. He could still get out!’ 

Without even thinking about it, she ran towards the struggling boy and knocked the guard away from him, slamming into him with all her body weight. The guard threw a punch at her, but she blocked it and smashed her handcuffed fists against his head. He hit the floor and she kicked with all her might against his head, hearing a sickening thud. She saw a spatter of blood fly from where her foot had made contact with his nose and felt a deep revulsion. 

“Jinx! Watch out!” Hot Spot shouted. 

She moved out of the way just in time. Another guard had come at her from behind, shooting at her from the open door of the cell. She turned around and charged at him, screaming as she crashed into him and knocked the gun out of his hand. The guard was too disoriented from the impact and went to the wrong corner of the room to pick up his gun. Jinx managed to scoop it up between her hands and snuck up behind him. 

“Goddamn it! Where is it?” The guard shouted. 

“Looking for this, asshole?” She snarled, smashing it against his skull. He hit the floor and groaned a little. Quickly, she ran back out into the hallway in time to watch Hot Spot flying through the air, skidding backwards on the floor. Out of nowhere, she was screaming in pain as the collar electrocuted her whole body. She dropped down, convulsing and helpless. She heard Hot Spot yell, 

“I’m going to kill you!” 

If she had any control over her body, she would have told him to watch out. The guard whose nose she had broken reached out and tripped Hot Spot as he ran towards her guard. Before she even knew what was happening, her guard had snapped a collar around the boy’s neck and he was screaming with her. 

“N—n—n—no.” She tried to say, spitting saliva everywhere. Her eyes were rolling and she knew that she was in serious shit now. The guard with the broken nose came over and kicked her hard in the stomach. She couldn’t even defend herself. She just kept screaming, her voice sounding both broken and foreign to her ears. 

“Zenith is not gonna be happy, Johnson.” Her guard said. 

“How was I supposed to know the kid was that strong? We gave him the shot and Zenith said it would neutralize his goddamn powers.” Johnson growled, pressing a hand to his nose. “I think this bitch broke my nose.” 

Her guard shrugged him off. “Forget it for now. Get the girl into the lab and get her prepped—they’re running more tests on her. I’ll deal with this one.” 

Jinx watched as her guard dragged Hot Spot into the cell and slammed the door behind him. The other guard finally stopped the electric shock and she lay there, sputtering and shaking. But before she could catch her breath, Johnson grabbed the chain of her handcuffs and started dragging her across the floor. Her back and arms were screaming out in pain, being pulled into an unnatural position. 

“Stop.” She cried, her voice breaking into a sob. “Stop.” 

He didn’t listen to her. He continued to drag her all the way to the lab, ignoring her cries of pain. When they finally reached the doors to the lab, she thought about how fucked up it was that she would rather be in the hands of the psycho with the cattle prod than with this man. He picked her up and practically threw her onto the operating table, strapping her legs down first. Then he unlocked the cuffs, tying the leather straps around her wrists in a pose that resembled crucifixion. She told herself that she wasn’t going to cry now. She wouldn’t let him see her breaking anymore. 

“They’re gonna cut you open today, you little bitch. Wanna see what makes your freaky witch insides work.” He whispered into her ear. She couldn’t even move away. “They’re gonna make you wish you were dead.” 

‘Fuck you.’ 

She spat a wad of saliva in his face, watching with a defiant look as it slid down his cheek. The man’s face contorted with rage and she didn’t envy herself for what he would undoubtedly do to her. But before he could wrap his hands around her throat, the familiar, garbled voice came over the loudspeakers, saying, 

“Johnson. Clear out of the lab. You have other duties to attend to.” 

The man snarled, giving Jinx a death glare. “Yes sir.” 

She heard the lab doors slide open and then whoosh closed behind the man. Jinx took a deep breath to steady herself. ‘I can take this. I’ve been through worse. I can take this.’ 

“It seems that you’ve forgotten how to play by my rules, little girl. For that, I’m afraid you will have to be punished.” The garbled voice said, coming from out of the speakers. 

‘Do your worst.’ 

The man with the mask entered the room now, holding a metal tank in one hand and a plastic mask and hose with the other. His eyes were cold and unfeeling. Jinx was afraid but she would never let them see it. Whatever these people did, she would not let them take that power from her. 

{Raven} 

She told Robin that she was going to study her spell books to find the answer, but so far the search had been fruitless. It was difficult to find any information that could help the daughter of an all powerful demon control her powers. But she refused to give up. She had to get rid of her mental connection with Jinx no matter what. Considering the dangers of what she did, Raven couldn't afford to have sudden, debilitating mental episodes that forced her into Jinx's headspace. Especially if it meant risking her safety or the safety of her friends. Part of her wished that she could keep the connection, if only so she knew that Jinx was alive...wherever she was. At the very least, it would ease Kid Flash's mind. And Robin's too, she supposed. 

That was another aspect of this situation that bothered her. Her connection with Robin had never done anything like this to her. The two of them felt each other's emotions—in her case, his were much stronger and easier to decipher—and she could mentally meld her mind with his if she wanted to, but hadn't since his mental breakdown regarding Slade. 

She was never forced into his mind against her will and she had never been able to use her powers when she was inside his head. She wondered if things were different with Jinx because she was superhuman and Robin was not. Perhaps Robin's energy wasn't as potent as hers, making it much harder for him to contact her mentally and drag her into his conscious mind? Or maybe it was because Jinx’s powers were based in magic just like her own? She wasn't sure what to think at this point. 

'I need a break.' She thought to herself. 

Without uttering a single word, she summoned a dark portal and disappeared into it, coming out on top of the roof. It was late afternoon but the sun was still warm and comforting to her. She wouldn't admit to herself, but not being in control of her powers was terrifying. Experiencing the same horrors that Jinx went through was beginning to take a toll on her. 

It was too much for her to even consider what happened to Jinx when she wasn't inside her mind. She didn't want to know. Why would anyone kidnap a Teen Titan just to lock them away and torture them? It was obvious that Jinx's kidnappers wanted to know how her powers worked, but she wanted to know why. What would their end goal even be? Why would someone take her, attempt to kidnap Hot Spot and Argent, and then keep them solely to understand their powerful abilities? If anything, she thought they would use them as pawns to carry out their orders or maybe even demand a ransom. 

Raven also wanted to know what Beast Boy's friend was up to here. Had he really been the one who caused the earthquake in Gotham City? Several hundred employees of the Zenith Corporation died when their headquarters collapsed in the quake—of course someone would want to find the person responsible. But did he cause the quake on purpose? She thought about Terra's unstable powers and considered that maybe this boy had accidentally started the quake and wasn't able to stop it. But Beast Boy had said that he was looking for the people who had killed his sister. If Adam thought that the people at Zenith were responsible for her death, he might have killed them without a second thought. 

'Maybe he came here to find the person who runs the company. Maybe he blames them personally for his sister’s death?' 

There were just too many questions in this case and not enough answers. She decided that it was time to pay a visit to Nevermore and try to figure this all out. But before she could summon her energies to transport her back to her room, something bad happened. There was a sudden stab of pain behind her eyes and she began to feel the same sensation of being dragged, pulled into Jinx’s conscious mind. Raven mentally said her chant, focusing all her power on fighting back against the pull. 

‘Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos.’ 

The other girl’s mental strength was a match for hers, but Raven was fighting with all her might against the assault on her mind. Suddenly, it felt like her world was being split in two. She was seeing the glow of the afternoon sun on Titans Tower, but moments later it was the white tiles of a ceiling. Whatever was happening to Jinx was bad enough that she had separated Raven’s conscious in two, despite the psychic power that she was using against her. It was like Raven was only half a person, straddling the physical world and the mental as well. 

‘Robin! Help me!’ She mentally cried out, trying to reach him with their link when she flickered back into her mind for a moment. But then she was gone again. 

‘It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real.’ Jinx was saying to herself. She was terrified out of her mind and Raven didn’t understand why. Raven noticed that Jinx was tied down to a table and unable to move. 

In an effort to reach the other girl, Raven said, ‘Jinx! What is it?’ 

Jinx couldn’t find the words to respond. She just stared at the figure in front of her and took deep, gasping breaths. Suddenly, Raven was assaulted with what could only be Jinx’s memories. It was a flurry of color and noise, but she managed to pick out pieces. 

A pink teddy bear that her Mom had given to her. 

She was curled up under her bed, hoping that Daddy wouldn’t come in to her room. 

Purple bruises. 

He tried to touch her in the bad way. 

She was scared. 

She was hiding. 

Why did Daddy try to hurt her? Why did Daddy said she was bad? 

Daddy said it was her fault that Mommy died. 

She was a bad girl and she needed to be punished. 

Everything hurt. She just wanted to sleep… 

‘No!” Raven cried out, mentally jumping back from the girl’s memories. She tried to retreat from her mind, but it was like she was up against a wall and there was no way to phase through it. Jinx knew that the person in front of her wasn’t her father. She knew it better than she knew her own name, but she couldn’t convince her mind that this was the truth. Raven was suddenly aware that there was a mask over Jinx’s face, forcing her to breathe in something. 

‘Jinx! They’re making you hallucinate! It’s not real! This man isn’t your father!’ 

But Jinx was too far gone to hear her. She was rolling in the agony and terror of her memories, forcing Raven to experience them too. There was nothing she could do and nowhere she could go to escape. She was completely helpless. 

It was then that Raven heard a voice calling to her from somewhere far away. It sounded almost like… ‘Robin!’ She cried, suddenly being dragged back towards her own mind. For her, it was like being stuck in a dark corridor between two open doors, or being the piece of metal that was trapped between two, opposing magnets. She could hear him calling for her and she was trying so hard to reach him. But then Jinx’s mind reached out for her, penetrating her psychic defenses with horrible pictures and the sounds of a child crying. The pain that Jinx experienced was enough to yank Raven back towards her. ‘Robin! Help me! She won’t let me go!’ 

He called back to her, ‘Raven, I can take it! Pour your power into me!’ 

She didn’t try to fight him this time. She did what he asked. 

{Robin} 

He had Raven in his arms one minute, trying to convince her to let him help, and the next minute, he was lying on the ground. His whole body felt like a live wire and he had the sudden urge to fly even though he knew he couldn’t. Before this moment, he hadn’t realized that he was only one person in his own mind. But now, he was aware of Raven taking up a spot inside his head. He was aware of every single one of Raven’s thoughts and feelings and he experienced them just like they were his own. 

“Raven?” His voice sounded strange to his own ears. He was so full of wonder at how this was even possible. 

She leaned over him, her violet eyes wide. “Oh my god. Robin, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” 

“Do you feel this too?” He asked her. 

She nodded. “Yes. We have more than just a bond now, Robin. We’re connected on every level possible.” 

‘This is bad. This is really bad. I didn’t know this would happen to him. What am I going to do? I couldn’t even stop Jinx from getting in my head—how am I supposed to help him?’ 

Robin reached out, grasping her small hand in his. Instantly, he sensed that Raven’s inner turmoil was settling down. She took a deep breath. He said, “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out. The important thing is that Jinx can’t pull you into her head anymore.” 

“Right.” She replied, clearly unconvinced. 

Before Robin could say anything else, both of their communicators went off and Cyborg’s voiced boomed through the devices, “Raven! Robin! Emergency—meet us outside!” 

The dark-haired boy looked over at Raven. ‘Hold onto me.’ He reached out to hold her hand and the moment they made contact, Raven summoned her dark energies into a floating disk beneath them. She quickly flew them from the roof and down to the ground in front of the Tower, not pausing for a second when they made it and walking straight for the path that led to the water. They didn’t even discuss how either of them knew, but they both knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that their friends were there. When they rounded the corner, Robin saw why Cyborg had called them. Cyborg and Kid Flash stood nearby as Starfire tried to persuade Beast Boy into letting her carry the unconscious, blonde boy who was lying on the ground. Both Robin and Raven thought, ‘Adam.’ 

“What happened?” Robin asked, walking closer to them. 

Beast Boy looked up at him with tears in his eyes. “I don’t know. Star and I flew back and he was just lying here. He’s hurt really bad.” 

“He said that he had been attacked by Cheshire, Robin.” Starfire informed him. 

Robin didn’t even think about it before he said, “We’re bringing him in. Raven, will you carry him to the medical bay?” 

She nodded, forming another dark, floating disk beneath the injured boy so she could levitate him into the air. As she led the group, walking back towards the Tower, she mentally asked Robin, ‘What are we going to do?’ 

He replied grimly, ‘I have no idea.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made an executive decision as a writer in this chapter. Since I don't know anything about Jinx's actual backstory, I ended up making something new for her that would best fit the plot. Don't be upset if it's not accurate. Thanks!


	8. Won't Back Down

I know what darkness means (and the point to run from me)  
The isolation stings (so thick it wants to bleed)  
The echoes in my brain (all the things you said to me)  
You took my everything (now I'm coming for you)

\--Won’t Back Down, Fuel 

{Argent} 

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Jericho asked her, speaking from inside the body of one of the portly, older men who had been his captor. Argent was in the middle of sending a message to the Titans so she didn’t really hear what he said. 

“One second, Jericho.” She replied, going back to the message on her communicator. “If this plan works, Titans, I should be getting in touch with you in the next day or so. If not, then feel free to come get us. Argent out.” 

She turned back to him, giving him her full attention now. “What was it you were asking?” 

He repeated himself. “Do you really think this plan of yours is going to work?” 

“It’s the only plan we have, so I hope it will.” 

“We don’t know what we’re walking into, Argent. It could be really bad.” 

She nodded. “If they’ve been kidnapping Titans, it’s not for any good reasons. We have to assume that we’re going into something horrible. Maybe even something that we might not walk away from.” 

He shuffled nervously. “I don’t know about this…shouldn’t we at least pull the other Titans in on our plan?” 

“No. We need someone on the outside that can rescue us if something goes wrong. Plus, if we have too many of us sneaking in here then someone is bound to get suspicious. We can’t afford for that to happen.” Her expression softened when she saw the look on the older man’s face. “Don’t be afraid, Jericho.” 

“I just keep thinking, Argent. When the Brotherhood was trying to capture all of us last year, I thought that was as scared as I could possibly be. But this? These people aren’t trying to prove they’re better and smarter than us. I think they want to kill us, Argent.” 

“I do too. But we can’t let them.” Her mouth hardened into a straight line. “They took Hot Spot from me and I’m going to get him back.” 

“But what if—“Jericho started to say and then stopped. 

“If they killed him, then I’m going to make them pay for it.” She replied, her voice sounding strong and cold to her own ears. She hoped it also made her seem braver than she felt right then. He looked at her for a moment, like he was trying to understand something, and then he said with a small smile, “Okay Argent. Let’s do it.” 

{Beast Boy} 

He glanced over at the clock on the wall, which read 2 AM, and realized that he had spent most of the day in the medical bay. He was surprised that none of the other Titans had told him to take a break or get some sleep. But considering the way he reacted when they found Adam, it made sense that they wouldn’t bother him. He couldn’t deny that seeing the older boy like that had made him think of Terra. And once he was thinking about her, he became an emotional wreck and there was nothing that could stop that. 

Adam was lying in a bed near him, hooked up to all sorts of equipment that he didn’t know the names and purposes of. It was times like this that Beast Boy was grateful to have friends. Kid Flash was there to lighten the mood, Starfire was the one to comfort him, Raven was the one to heal the worst of Adam’s wounds, Cyborg was the one who knew about the medical equipment and how it would help Adam, and Robin was the one who was trying to figure out what had happened. He couldn’t imagine trying to go through all of this without his friends. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” A gruff voice said. 

Beast Boy looked up to see Adam staring at him. The younger boy was stunned. “You’re awake.” 

“You’re very observant. I see why the Titans keep you around.” Adam replied sarcastically. 

“I’m guessing the sarcasm means you’re feeling better?” Beast Boy asked him, watching the older boy start to sit up. 

Adam groaned, pressing a hand to his head. “I feel like shit if that’s what you mean.” 

“Yeah, Cheshire got you pretty bad.” 

“What’s the damage?” Adam asked him, turning his blue eyes on the green changeling. For some reason, having the older boy’s attention made Beast Boy nervous. 

Beast Boy hesitated. “Are you sure you wanna know?” 

“Just take the kid gloves off already.” Adam replied, struggling to get into a sitting position. He waved off Beast Boy when he tried to help him. So while Adam attempted to sit up, Beast Boy told him what Raven had told him earlier. 

“She broke your nose and cheekbone, cracked a couple of your ribs, and managed to stab you a few times on top of that.” 

Adam started to laugh, but winced from the pain and pressed his hands to his stomach. Beast Boy couldn’t imagine why he thought this was funny. “How can you laugh about that?” 

“What the hell else am I supposed to do? The bitch got me good.” 

“You’re lucky that Raven was able to heal the major damage she did. You’d probably be dead otherwise.” Beast Boy told him reproachfully. 

Adam gave him a look. “You’d be safer if I was.” 

“How can you say that?” Beast Boy was stunned by his words. He couldn’t imagine how Adam could even be thinking that way. 

“Because it’s true. She said she would come after you if I didn’t surrender to her.” He stretched his hands out like he was trying to make a point. “I clearly didn’t surrender, which means that you and all your friends are in danger.” 

Beast Boy shrugged. “We’re in danger every single day. That’s nothing new.” 

Adam frowned at him. “I hate that you keep saying that.” 

“It’s the truth.” 

“But you act like your life doesn’t matter. It pisses me off. Just because you’re a goddamn superhero doesn’t mean that you should forget that you’re a person first.” Adam told him. His voice was full of anger and it surprised Beast Boy. 

“What are you so mad about?” Beast Boy asked him. 

Adam said, “The way you see yourself is the same way those assholes at Zenith see us—people with powers. They don’t see us as human, which is why they do the shit they do.” 

“Which is what exactly?” 

The older boy sighed, running his finger through his long, blonde hair. “You might as well know. It’s pretty obvious that you aren’t going to stay out of my business, no matter what I tell you.” 

“You’re the one that came here.” Beast Boy reminded him, trying his hardest not to sound smug about this fact. 

Adam glared at him. “Don’t be an asshole. I’m sure it’s hard for you, but I bet you can do it.” 

Beast Boy couldn’t hold in a small smirk at this comment. “Whatever you say, dude.” 

“Anyways, we were talking about Zenith. On paper, they’re a company that specializes in cutting edge robotics. But off the books, they abduct and torture super powerful human beings for their own sick, twisted reasons.” 

“Your sister?” Beast Boy asked, hardly daring to say anything else. 

Adam nodded. “I always told her not to use her powers in front of people, but somehow the Zenith Corporation figured out that she had them. We lived in a shitty apartment building in a bad part of Bludhaven, so she and I were always careful about everything. But when she went missing, one of the people on our floor told me that she opened the door for them. She let them walk into our apartment and I still can’t figure out why.” 

“Sometimes people make mistakes.” Beast Boy said, unsure of how to comfort him. 

Adam shook his head. “Not Meri. She was a smart kid. She never would have put herself in danger like that. But I’m getting off the point here, sorry. Anyways, she was missing for several weeks before I finally found someone who knew where they took her.” 

“How did you get them to tell you?” 

“You don’t want to know that. Trust me.” Adam replied darkly. “But they told me where to find her and how to get into the Zenith building without getting caught. I didn’t totally trust them, but it was the only lead I had so I went with it. When I got there, I realized that their headquarters was much more than it looked. Above ground, it was six or seven floors, but below? I don’t even know how far down it really went.” 

Beast Boy was scared to ask, but he did anyways. “So what happened?” 

“I found my sister. She looked like skin and bones, Beast Boy. I had no idea that someone could look like that. I don’t know what they did to her and honestly, I never want to.” 

“Was she…” Beast Boy couldn’t bear to say the word out loud. Especially not with Adam sitting right there—it seemed wrong somehow. 

Adam nodded. “Yes. And they just tossed her out like she was trash. She wasn’t the only one either. There were at least five other people that I found. Those fuckers are lucky that I only collapsed the building on them. After what I saw, I was ready to rip them to pieces.” 

“So you did cause the earthquake.” Beast Boy said, his heart sinking inside him. He suspected as much but it was quite a different thing to hear Adam say it out loud. 

Adam gave him a guarded look. “I don’t regret it, Beast Boy.” 

“Are you serious? You could have exposed them, Adam! But you didn’t! You buried the truth and killed hundreds of people! How could you do something so stupid and selfish?” Beast Boy ranted, growing angrier with every passing second. 

“They abducted my little sister and tortured her to death. That’s how.” Adam replied, his blue eyes narrowed at the younger boy. “You try holding someone you love in your arms, knowing that they were murdered, and see if you don’t feel the same way.” 

The changeling got up from the chair, crossing his arms over his chest. “Do you realize what you did, Adam? You let them get away and they came here. They’re taking my friends because of you.” 

“Why the hell do you think I’m here, Beast Boy? To play hide and seek with Zenith’s psycho ninja? No, I came to finish what they started.” 

“And you’re doing such a great job with that.” Beast Boy turned his back on the older boy, fuming. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. 

Adam asked him, his voice strangely quiet. “What do you want from me, Beast Boy?” 

He turned back to look at the blonde boy. He saw the mask slipping from his face and suddenly, Adam wasn’t a heartless killing machine anymore. He was a young, vulnerable boy who had lost everything that mattered to him. Beast Boy saw how broken he was and felt a pang of empathy for him. He knew what it was like to be Adam. He went to Adam’s bedside and reached out to hold his hand. His fingers felt like ice and Beast Boy clutched them tighter. 

“I’m sorry. I hardly know you—I shouldn’t be judging for how you reacted. It’s not fair.” 

Adam’s blue eyes were searching his face, clearly trying to find something. Then he said, “Tell me about Terra.” 

He froze at the sound of her name and tried to move away, but Adam’s grip was too tight. “I can’t.” 

“I look like her, don’t I?” Adam asked him. “That’s why your team acted the way they did when they saw me. They thought I was her.” 

Beast Boy could feel tears welling up in his eyes. “I can’t talk about her, Adam. I can’t.” 

A flicker of realization crossed Adam’s face and he said, “You loved her. Didn’t you?” 

It was like a dam broke when he said those words. Tears started to pour down Beast Boy’s face and suddenly he was telling Adam everything. He could barely get the words out because he was crying so hard, but he couldn’t stop. He told Adam about how Terra was his best friend and his first love, about the way she betrayed them and tried to kill them, about the earthquake she started when she fought back against Slade, and about how she gave her life to stop the earthquake from destroying the city. The story poured out of him until there were no more words. Then he was just sobbing uncontrollably. 

Adam reached out and pulled Beast Boy into his arms, holding him tight as he cried into his shoulder. He didn’t say anything, but he quietly stroked Beast Boy’s green hair. Then the younger boy said, “It’s like I can’t move past her. Like she’s never going to let me go and I’m just stuck loving someone who’s gone forever. I hate it.” Beast Boy wiped his eyes, attempting to regain his composure. “I want to hate her too, but I can’t. She was just a girl, you know? She was lost and Slade took advantage of that.” 

Adam finally said, “Beast Boy, it’s not Terra who won’t let you go. You’re in love with a memory. You’re doing this to yourself.” 

Beast Boy roughly pushed himself out of Adam’s arms. He looked him dead in the eyes, unable to hide the anger he was feeling. “Don’t act like you know me. You don’t a goddamn thing about how I’m feeling!” 

With a slow, steady voice, the older boy replied, “Yes I do. I know exactly how you’re feeling. My little sister was murdered. And I lost my Mom to a drunk, old man who shouldn’t have been driving. You think I’ve been able to move past those things?” He gestured to the bed he lay in. “Obviously not. I’m the fucking poster boy for bad decisions.” He gave Beast Boy a look that he couldn’t quite decipher. “You think you’re alone, but you’re not. We’re the same.” 

Without even thinking about it, Beast Boy turned his back on the blonde boy. He said coldly, “I’m nothing like you.” And then he walked away, stepping through the door to the medical bay, not looking back even once. Adam watched him go, a blank look on his face. 

{Robin} 

He watched Beast Boy leaving the medical bay, regarding the multiple views that the security cameras gave him. Adam wasn’t having any sort of reaction to what Beast Boy said. He was acting calmly, just sitting in his bed as though he hadn’t just been in an emotional argument. Considering that Robin himself was prone to emotional outbursts and fits of obsessive behavior, he found it very weird that Adam wasn’t reacting at all. Especially considering what he and Beast Boy were discussing and the way the conversation ended. Robin wanted to know more about Adam. He was wary of this boy and given that he had just admitted to causing the deaths of hundreds of innocent people, he felt that his feelings were justified. 

“What don’t we know about you, Adam?” He murmured, still watching the blonde boy sitting quietly in his bed. All he kept thinking of was, ‘Why does he look so much like Terra?’ It’s not like it was just a passing resemblance either. He looked nearly identical to Robin’s former teammate, almost like he could have been her twin. This thought caused Robin to pause for a moment. What did he really know about Terra? She wasn’t exactly forthcoming with personal information, so none of them knew much about her background. It was very possible that she had siblings that she hadn’t told them about. 

“But he doesn’t know her.” Robin said to himself. “At least, he doesn’t know her name. And he only had one sister.” He sighed, running his fingers through his spiky, black hair. None of this was making any sense. 

The door to the security room slid open behind him, but Robin didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. He said, “You’re still up?” 

Raven replied with a dry tone to her voice. “Clearly.” 

Robin wryly smiled at her response, but didn’t say anything. He continued to keep his eyes on the screens in front of him. Raven silently came to stand beside him, looking at the video footage of Adam playing on the screens. She asked, “Have you heard anything new from Argent?” 

He shook his head. “Not since she told us she was following that truck from Gotham.” 

“Are you worried?” 

“Trying not to be. We’ve alerted the other Titans about what’s going on—there’s not much else we can do at this point.” 

Raven said, “I wish there was. Kid Flash has been driving me crazy.” 

With a worried look, Robin asked, “Are you still being pulled into Jinx’s mind?” 

“No. His emotions are just very strong right now.” She paused and then said, “We need to talk about what happened, Robin.” 

“Talk about what exactly?” 

She gave him a look. “I poured some of my power into you.” 

“I know.” 

“Then you also know that it drastically changed the link between us.” 

“Yes.” He nodded, unsure of what she was trying to say. “Where are you going with this, Raven?” 

“I don’t know what’s going to happen. I have no idea how to manage our connection or if it’s possible to terminate it or even if the effects are going to get worse. I haven’t found anything in my spell books that can help us either.” 

‘I’m scared and I don’t know what to do. I can’t handle not being in control of myself or my emotions or my mind. I’m terrified that something bad is going to happen and I won’t be able to stop it. What if I hurt you? What if someone else gets hurt because of us? Because of what I did?’ 

Robin reached his hands out, gently gripping her shoulders. Instantly, the steady stream of her conscious in his head stopped. She was watching him with wide, worried eyes, which was so unlike the Raven he knew. He tried to sound reassuring when he said, “It’s gonna be okay. We’ll just have to figure things out as we go.” 

She hesitated before she said, “What if we can’t figure it out?” 

He gave her a small smile. “I could think of worse people to have in my head.” 

Before he could analyze the look on her face, Robin’s communicator began to beep—indicating that another message was coming through. He opened the device up and the two of them watched as Argent and Jericho told them their next moves. Robin felt Raven’s dread increasing as she considered what was about to happen. He knew that the same feeling of dread was all over his face. Without pausing to think about it, Robin used his communicator to contact the other members of his team. 

“Titans, everyone meet in the control room. We have a serious issue on our hands.” 

He hardly registered everyone’s responses. He just stared absently at the security monitors, trying to think of a plan. Raven’s thoughts entered his mind again, echoing his own feelings perfectly, 

‘What are we going to do?’ 

For the first time in a long time, Robin realized that he didn’t know.


	9. The Lion's Den

How dare you play the victim  
These tortured eyes, they see right through you  
But still you keep me captive  
And make me feel like I deserve you  
But I hate you

\--Venom, Bullet for My Valentine 

{Starfire} 

When she walked into the main room of Titans Tower, Starfire instantly knew that something was wrong. She could see the tension on Robin’s face and the grim way that Raven kept looking at him. She realized that what they were about to hear couldn’t be anything good. Instinctively, she went to stand by Kid Flash, because she was afraid that this terrible news would be about Jinx. She did not know what she could do to help him if it was, but she thought it best to be nearby anyways. Then she turned her attention to her leader and asked, “Robin, what has happened?” 

He took a deep breath before he responded to her question. “All of you know that Argent was following a truck from Gotham.” 

Robin wasn’t starting off with what had happened. She knew this must be bad. 

“Has something happened to Argent?” Starfire asked him. 

“It’s complicated.” Raven replied, answering for Robin. 

Kid Flash suddenly got angry. “What the hell do you mean? What happened?” 

“From the looks of it, she released Jericho and the two of them decided to infiltrate Zenith headquarters.” 

“Wait. Are they in there right now?” Cyborg asked, glancing back and forth between Raven and Robin. 

Raven nodded. “Yes.” 

“Why are we still sitting here then?” Kid Flash said. “We should be out there helping them!” 

Starfire decided this was a good time to speak up. “Perhaps it is best that we allow them an opportunity to do this on their own.” 

“But what are they doing exactly?” Beast Boy asked, looking confused. 

“They’re gathering information on Zenith from the inside.” Robin sent a pointed look in Kid Flash’s direction. “And it’s important that we don’t get in the middle of what they’re doing.” 

“What are you thinking, Robin?” Kid Flash snapped back at him. “If there’s even the slightest chance that they have Jinx, we should be in there!” 

Raven said calmly, “We can’t risk them getting suspicious and disappearing before we find out anything.” 

“Was I talking to you?” Kid Flash glared at her. 

Starfire could see that the situation was escalating quickly. So she suggested, “Perhaps it would be beneficial to do some of our own surveillance on the outside?” 

“That’s not a bad idea.” Cyborg said. “We could watch who’s coming and going. That might give us an edge.” 

“And we would be close by, just in case Argent and Jericho might need us.” Starfire added, speaking to Robin but keeping one eye on the volatile boy at her side. 

Robin seemed to consider her idea for a moment before he said, “Alright, let’s do it. We need to have a plan, so let’s get started.” He walked towards the main controls and everyone began to follow after him. However, Starfire reached out and stopped Kid Flash, saying, “May I speak with you for a moment?” 

“We don’t really have time for talking right now.” He said curtly. 

“Please. It will not take long.” 

He huffed, scrubbing his hands through his crazy, red hair. But she could see that he was going to do as she asked. “Fine.” 

She led him just outside the main room, waiting until the doors slid closed before she said, “I am worried for you.” 

He seemed surprised by this. “Why?” 

“You are constantly on edge.” 

“My girlfriend was abducted, Starfire. Now she’s being tortured by some psycho and we’re doing absolutely nothing to find her. Saying I’m on edge is putting it lightly.” He told her grimly. 

She knew she had to be careful with what she said next. She did not want to make him more upset. “I understand. But it is important that you do not let your emotions cloud your judgment.” 

“That’s easy for you to say. You’re safe in your ivory tower. But things would be different if one of your friends were in her place.” Kid Flash said angrily. “Tell me the truth. Would you be sitting around, waiting on someone else, if one of them had been taken? If you knew that they were being tortured?” 

“I cannot say what I would do in your place. But you must trust that Robin is doing everything he can. He is trying to protect all of us.” 

“Jinx is the one who needs protecting.” 

Starfire did not know what to say to that. She could see that he was suffering from guilt because he was not there for Jinx. She knew he was only angry with them because he could not be angry with anyone else. He felt useless and incapable of helping the person he loved—she could not imagine anything worse. 

“We will get her back.” 

He gave her a look of resignation that almost broke her heart, and then said, “We’ll see.” 

She watched him walk back into the control room and barely registered the doors sliding closed. She could not understand how things had spun so wildly out of control. All she could hope for was that Argent and Jericho might discover something that would lead them to the missing Titans. 

{Argent} 

She had to keep telling herself to stay calm. Her mind was running wild with all the possibilities that could happen if her plan went wrong. She was also actively avoiding her instinct to draw Jericho’s attention; at the moment, he possessed the body of one of the men who kidnapped him. It was easier to keep her eyes from wandering because he didn’t look like himself, but she was starting to get nervous. She could have used a reassuring look from him. But this wasn’t the time or the place for that. 

“I can’t believe that Jericho kid got away.” The man one who was driving the truck, said with a groan. “Zenith’s gonna be pissed that we don’t have him.” 

Jericho replied, changing his voice so it sounded a bit deeper. “But we have the goth chick now. Maybe he won’t be too mad once he sees her.” 

The other man seemed to consider this. “That’s true. But he’s gonna make us go find that kid either way. So we’re still stuck in Jump for god knows how long.” 

“Maybe we can make a deal with him, Billy. See if we can get out of the contract?” Jericho suggested. 

“Eh, we’ll see Cal. Don’t get your hopes up. Zenith’s a hard ass about this stuff.” 

Argent wished that they hadn’t gagged her. She would have liked to interject something or at least pretend she was putting up a fight against them. But they couldn’t risk her screaming for help—even if they were out in the middle of nowhere. She watched as Billy pulled the truck around the corner and suddenly they were approaching a massive, sprawling building complex. 

‘So this is Zenith headquarters. Why did they pick a spot so far from the city? That doesn’t make any sense.’ 

“You wonder why they picked somewhere so far out? I mean, they were right in the middle of things in Gotham.” Jericho asked curiously. Argent mentally thanked him for asking the same thing she was thinking. 

Billy shrugged. “My guess? Jump probably wouldn’t let them build in town after their last building collapsed. Maybe Zenith builds a good building, maybe they don’t. All I know is they got a bunch of folks killed. I wouldn’t let ‘em build anywhere near me either.” 

‘That makes sense. Jump’s nervous about Zenith coming here. They aren’t sure if it was the way the building was built or not. So they’re playing it safe.’ 

“Where are we dropping this chick off anyways?” Jericho asked, pointing a finger towards the back of the cab. 

“Zenith said to pull around back. There’s a service entrance back there.” Billy gave Jericho a pointed look. “They can’t risk somebody seeing us or her. Too many questions and witnesses.” 

Jericho nodded. “Makes sense.” He turned to briefly glance at her, and then asked in a quieter voice, “What do you think they need these freaks for?” 

Billy said sternly, “It’s better if you don’t ask those questions, Cal. We’re here to get paid—that’s it. Don’t go poking your nose in places it don’t belong.” 

“Sorry Billy. I’m just curious.” 

Billy gave Jericho a look as he drove the truck up to the main security gate. “Keep that to yourself. Money’s no good if you’re dead.” 

“Right.” Jericho replied agreeably. 

Billy rolled his window down to speak with the security guard. While he was distracted, Jericho turned his head to look at Argent. She shook her head at him, trying to tell him to turn around. He mouthed, “It will be okay.” Then he turned back around in his seat. She was a little surprised by this. It was like he knew what she was thinking. Even Hot Spot, who was her closest friend, still had trouble figuring her out sometimes. 

The truck was moving again and Billy said to Jericho, “Okay, I’ll deal with Zenith’s people when we get there. You keep the freaky goth under control.” 

Jericho nodded. “Got it. Shouldn’t be a problem.” 

Argent fought the urge to smile. Of course it wouldn’t be a problem—she was willingly walking into the lion’s den. Both of them were. 

{Beast Boy} 

Robin was only allowing the team to run surveillance on Zenith headquarters in shifts of two people. He was worried that Cheshire would show up at the tower—with reinforcements—and they wouldn’t have enough people to keep them back. Beast Boy didn’t mind this plan. Truthfully, he was afraid that Cheshire would show up and he wouldn’t be there to protect Adam. Not that he needed protection necessarily, but he hadn’t healed enough for Beast Boy to completely trust in his powers. So while Kid Flash and Raven took the first watch, he headed for the medical bay to see the older boy. 

When the door slid open, Adam was sitting up in his bed like he had been waiting for him. He glanced in Beast Boy’s direction, saying sarcastically, “Nice to see you again. Planning on keeping me locked in here forever?” 

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow at him. “Depends. Are you planning on getting captured by Cheshire?” 

Adam scoffed. “Hardly. I have no intention of letting her take me.” 

“What are you planning then?” Beast Boy countered, getting closer. 

“Nope.” Adam shook his head. “Not getting you involved.” 

“It’s a little late for that, Adam.” Beast Boy said, gesturing to their surroundings. “You’re in my home—being protected by my family. That counts as us being involved.” 

Adam gave him a small smirk. “You and I are involved, huh? Well, someone’s a little forward.” 

Beast Boy just stared at him. He couldn’t figure out what sort of game Adam was playing. He was clearly hiding more than he was willing to share, which was strange considering everything he told him about his sister. What could be worse than the only person you love being murdered by psychopaths? He couldn’t even begin to imagine. 

“Why do you keep hiding things from me?” Beast Boy asked. 

“Well, I’m sure you didn’t expect me to share everything with you. I mean, there’s no campfire and we’re definitely not singing Kumbaya.” Adam taunted him, eyes twinkling. 

Beast Boy glared. “This isn’t funny, dude. We’re putting ourselves at risk to keep you safe.” 

The amusement melted off Adam’s face. “I never asked you to do that.” 

“In case you forgot, you were unconscious and bleeding to death. We made a choice to take you in.” 

“You’ll regret it.” Adam replied darkly. 

Beast Boy crossed his arms over his chest. “Already do.” 

“So what the hell are you doing in here then?” Adam asked, with a razor sharp edge to his voice. Beast Boy knew he was starting to get pissed off. It was time to leave. 

“I have no idea.” Beast Boy said, turning and walking right out of the room. When the doors whooshed closed, he leaned against the wall just outside. He ran his fingers through his hair, thoughts racing through his head. 

‘I have to find a way to make Adam trust me. That’s the only way he’s gonna to tell me what his plan is. But how am I supposed to do that? Adam doesn’t trust anybody.’ 

Beast Boy sighed. This was going to be much harder than he thought. 

{Argent} 

She was amazed by the vastness of Zenith’s headquarters. There were so many doors and hallways, what seemed like a million different employees, and insane technology that she had never seen in her entire life. She should have been scared, but she was taking every detail in and trying to commit it to memory. There was no way to tell what information would be most important to the Titans, so she was determined to remember as much as she could. Billy spoke in hushed tones with the security guard leading them through the building, while Jericho had her cuffed to his arm and guided her behind them. She wasn’t thrilled about the collar they put on her—especially because she couldn’t use her powers—but she knew that there was no point in fighting it. It was better to come across as a compliant captive, rather than a hero who was determined to go down fighting. She had a job to do after all. 

Jericho was doing a brilliant job of playing the hired help. He was gruff, commanding, and rough with her, which was keeping up the illusion perfectly. Billy didn’t even suspect anything was different about his friend. They reached an elevator and the security guard pulled a card out of his pocket, swiping it through a scanner. The system recognized him and the elevator doors slid open. 

“Get her in.” The guard said, gesturing to Argent. 

Jericho pushed her into the elevator and she pretended to try and escape. He quickly grabbed her shoulder and forced her back in. She gave a cry that she hoped sounded genuine and said, “You’re hurting me!” 

All of a sudden, the guard back-handed her across the face. The blow snapped her face to the side and left her eyes watering. He grabbed her by the chin, forcing her to look at him. There was no kindness in his eyes. “This is nothing, little girl. Just you wait until you see what we have for you.” He shoved her away and went to scan his card again, closing the elevator doors. 

Argent refused to wipe the tears out of her eyes. This cruel man wouldn’t see her weak. She stood, staring directly at the wall in front of her. From the corner of her eye, she could see Jericho clenching his fist. That worried her immensely. No matter what happened to her, he could not break character. He was her only hope of getting out of this place if something went wrong. She wished more than anything that she had telepathic powers right now. 

The elevator stopped at the top floor with a ding and the doors quickly slid open. The guard stepped out first, followed by Billy. Jericho said gruffly, “Move girl.” She did as he said, trying to keep up with his pace. This room was remarkable: mostly floor to ceiling windows, which gave her a perfect view of the desert surrounding them. There was a small waterfall to her right and many beautiful flowers scattered around the room. ‘How can a place like this exist here?’ 

“Welcome gentlemen.” The smooth, commanding voice drew her attention to the desk at the far end of the room. There was a man sitting there, tall, dark-haired, and pale, wearing a freshly pressed, clearly expensive suit. He was smiling at her captors, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. Argent felt ice run through her veins. 

Billy was the first to speak. “Hello sir. We’ve brought the hero to you, as requested.” 

The elegant man leaned forward, pressing his palms together thoughtfully. “As I recall, you were to bring Jericho to me.” He ran his eyes over Argent in a way that made her feel like running away, mission or not. “Does this one look like Jericho to you?” 

The back of Billy’s neck turned red. Argent was suddenly worried for him. “No sir. We ran into…some complications on our way here.” 

The man continued to stare at Billy, still smiling but in a dangerous sort of way. “And what might those complications have been?” 

Billy gestured to Argent and she wanted to melt into the ground and disappear. “She tried to rescue him.” 

“It seems that she did rescue him, does it not gentlemen?” The man asked, obviously knowing the answer to his question already. 

Jericho nodded, speaking up for the first time. “Yes sir. We made a mistake.” 

Billy shot a look at Jericho, but the man simply nodded. “Yes. You did. And how do you intend to rectify that mistake?” 

“We’ll go back out and find him.” Jericho replied calmly, though Argent knew better. Inside, she was sure that he was a mess of nervous energy. 

The man didn’t respond to Jericho’s comment, but instead said, “Take the cuff off the girl, Mr. Gabriel.” 

Jericho quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a key, unlocking the cuff around Argent’s wrist. She stood there, trying not to shake. The man gestured to her. “Come here, girl.” 

There was no use in trying to run away. So Argent walked forward slowly, coming to a stop a few feet in front of the man’s desk. He was watching her like a snake watches a struggling mouse. “You’ve caused me quite a bit of trouble, you know.” 

She refused to meet his eyes. “I’m not sure what you mean.” 

She could see his lips curl up into a sharp smile. “Oh, but I’m sure you do. Argent.” He spit her name out like it was poison. She started reciting something in her head to keep calm. 

‘He thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts. He thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts. Oh god.’ 

“It wasn’t enough that you evaded my people when they came to capture you and your friend. But instead, you followed them here and released one of my captives. You’re like a dog with a bone, aren’t you?” He whispered harshly. 

‘This was such a bad idea. But it’s too late to go back now. Oh god, it’s way too late.’ 

“I was trying to protect my friend.” She said, her voice so quiet that she wasn’t sure he heard. 

“What noble intentions you had.” He said, mocking her. “Look where those intentions have led you, Argent. I can’t imagine all your effort was worth it.” 

Suddenly, her gaze snapped upward and she was staring right into the man’s icy blue eyes. “Yes, it was.” 

The man’s taunting smile disappeared, leaving a dark, dangerous look on his face. He looked past her and said, “Martin. Do it.” 

Argent turned just in time to watch the security guard pull out a gun and shoot Billy in the head. She screamed in horror, trying to rush towards Jericho, but someone wrapped their arm around her neck in a vice grip. Jericho was splattered with gore from the gun blast, but he lunged forward, knocking Martin to the ground. They were wrestling with the gun, Jericho trying to crush his wrist enough that he would drop it. The gun was getting dangerously close to Jericho’s head and Argent knew she had to help. She bent her head down and bit her teeth hard into the arm that held her, tasting blood in her mouth as she broke the skin. The person screamed, letting her go. But as she rushed to Jericho’s aid, a massive weight slammed across her face, knocking her to the floor. The world was spinning. 

Suddenly, there was another gunshot. She tried to get to her feet, but she was just too dizzy. Unfortunately, the dizziness couldn’t hide Cal Gabriel’s ruined, bleeding body. ‘Jericho.’ 

Someone hoisted her upwards by her arms and she cried out, feeling genuine pain this time. She could see the elegant man standing in front of her, wearing that same awful smile. He reached out, grasping her face with his hand. “Do you know who I am, Argent?” 

She couldn’t answer him. All she could think was, ‘He’s gone. They killed him. Oh god, what have I done?’ 

The man said, “My name is Damian Wage. And you are never leaving this place.” 

She didn’t care what he said. All his words were meaningless. 

“Martin.” Damian Wage said to the security guard. “Take the girl to her cell. Dr. Cromwell will deal with her later.” 

Her hands were cuffed behind her back and she was forced forward, still watching the world spin around her. She couldn’t keep her balance, falling to the ground. In the background, she heard someone say with a calm, quiet voice, “You shouldn’t have hit her so hard. You could have damaged something.” 

Damian Wage laughed. “The way she damaged you? I can’t imagine that you enjoyed being bitten, brother. Anyways, it hardly matters. The good Doctor will have his way with her soon enough.” 

The quiet voice was closer now and said, “Martin. You’ll have to carry her. We can’t risk injuring her further.” 

Martin replied quickly, “Of course, sir.” 

Suddenly, she was lifted into strong arms and carried from the room. The moment that she heard the elevator doors shut, she started weeping brokenly. But this time, Martin didn’t lash out against her. He just let her cry. The elevator dinged and he stepped out, still holding onto her tightly. Someone said teasingly, “Taking your work home with you, eh Martin?” 

He replied with the same light tone, “Something like that. Where’s this girl’s cell?” 

“Just down this way. I’ll buzz you in—since you got your hands full and all.” 

“Thanks Johnson.” 

The dizziness was starting to wear off a little and Argent could see that they were walking down a white-washed, sterile looking hallway with an endless row of doors on the right side. Martin walked to a door that was covered by a large, black 7. He placed his key card against the scanner and the door slid open. They stepped inside. She was surprised by the gentle way that Martin laid her down on the cold, concrete floor. 

“Are you alright?” Martin asked. 

“Why do you care?” She replied, trying to fight back the urge to cry again. 

Martin’s face smoothed out, taking five years away from his features. “Why do you think I care, Argent?” 

She had a sudden thought. She was almost afraid to speak it aloud, but she did anyways. “Who are you?” 

He smiled at her. “You would think that you’d be able to recognize a friend.” Suddenly, the man’s brown eyes glowed green and Argent didn’t think about what to do next. She threw herself into Jericho’s embrace, crying again. He wrapped his arms around her. “Be quiet now, Argent.” 

“But you’re alive.” She whispered. “How? I thought they killed you.” 

“I took over Martin’s body before he could shoot the gun. But I wasn’t quick enough to keep him from shooting Cal.” Jericho said grimly. 

Argent pulled back, looking into Jericho’s eyes. “We’re in deep shit here, Jericho.” 

He nodded in agreement. “We are. But we have a mission, remember? And after what Damian Wage just did, I’m determined to complete it.” 

“Me too.” Argent agreed, separating herself from him. “Go. Find out everything you can and don’t get caught.” 

He smiled at her. “I will. Stay safe, Argent.” Then he got to his feet, turning to scan his key card. 

She turned her face away, rolling onto her side on the concrete floor. When she heard the doors slide closed, she whispered, “Be careful.”


End file.
